ObjectiveTo assess the diagnostic value of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy for lateral lymph node metastasis in low rectal cancer. MethodsFrom May 1999 to March 2001, pelvic and lower abdominal lymphoscintigraphy with 99mTc sulfur colloid was performed on 32 patients with proven colorectal cancer one day prior to operation. Among these patients were 27 rectal cancers, 3 sigmoid cancers and 2 colon cancers. Fifteen cases of rectal cancer with the tumor located at or below the peritoneal reflection received extended lymphadenectomy with lateral dissection (D3 lymphadenectomy). The result of lymphoscintigrams was correlated with histologic lateral node examination. Results The image ratio of pararectal nodes, obturator nodes, and internal iliac aorti lymph trains was 69%, 91%, and 100% respectively. In 15 patients receiving D3 lymphadenectomy, 10 had negative lymphoscintigrams whereas 5 had positive image, and the lateral pathology positive rate was 13%(2/15). Analysis of these results revealed the sensitivity (100%), specificity (77%) and accuracy (80%) of this diagnostic method. ConclusionPelvic and lower abdominal lymphoscintigraphy with 99mTc sulfur colloid could demonstrate the lateral lymph node drainage of low rectal cancer, and the correlation with postoperative histologic lateral node examination was high enough to enable surgeons to adopt an individualized surgical approach.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of fetal growth restriction (FGR) in patients with preeclampsia (PE) and construct a Nomogram prediction model.Methods:From Aug. 2021 to May. 2023, 273 PE patients admitted to our hospital were regarded as the study subjects, and grouped into a modeling group (n=191) and a validation group (n=82). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the influencing factors of FGR in PE patients. R4.3.1 was applied to construct a Nomogram model for predicting FGR in PE patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the Hosmer Lemeshoe (H-L) goodness of fit test were applied to evaluate the discrimination and consistency of the Nomogram model in predicting FGR in PE patients.Results:There was no statistically obvious difference in gestational age, blood pressure, hemoglobin, urinary protein (UP), uric acid, umbilical artery systolic/diastolic blood pressure (S/D), D-dimer (D-D), or birth frequency between the modeling group and the validation group ( P>0.05). Compared with no concurrent FGR group, the onset of pregnancy in the concurrent FGR group was earlier, the levels of UP, S/D, and D-D, and the proportion of oligohydramnios were obviously higher, and the platelet count (PLT) was obviously lower ( t/χ 2=2.588, 1.437, 6.262, 5.464, 9.881, 3.326, P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that UP, S/D, D-D, and oligohydramnios were risk factors for FGR in PE patients ( OR=1.004, 3.807, 1.006, 4.348, P<0.05), while PLT was a protective factor ( OR=0.980, P<0.05). Nomogram model showed that when the total score of the above 5 influencing factors in PE patients was 149, the probability of concurrent FGR was 60%; when the total score was 167, the probability of concurrent FGR was 90%, and the probability of exceeding 167 was over 90%. Modeling group H-L test χ 2=6.736, P=0.565, validation group χ 2=5.812, P=0.668. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the modeling group and the validation group was 0.924 (95% CI: 0.883-0.965) and 0.932 (95% CI: 0.880-0.984), respectively. The sensitivity was 83.93% and 90.48%, and the specificity was 89.63% and 81.97%, respectively. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was applied to evaluate the clinical application value of the Nomogram model in predicting FGR in PE patients. Conclusion:The Nomogram model constructed based on the five indicators of UP, S/D, D-D, PLT, and oligohydramnios for predicting the risk of FGR in PE patients has high discrimination and consistency.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and safety of low-dose oral misoprostol solution for cervical ripening in late gestation.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study including 396 primiparas with singleton pregnancy who received low-dose oral misoprostol solution for cervical ripening (oral group) in Peking University Third Hospital from March to October 2022. They were further allocated to receive oral misoprostol alone (OA group, n=167) or oral misoprostol in combination with oxytocin/amniotomy (OC group, n=229). Moreover, 218 cases who received vaginal misoprostol for cervical ripening (vaginal group) during the same period in 2021 were reviewed (a retrospective cohort). Among them, 77 were given vaginal misoprostol alone (VA group) and 141 received vaginal misoprostol in combination with oxytocin/amniotomy (VC group). The OA group and VA group (72 and 73 cases) as well as the OC group and VC group (108 and 103 cases) were matched using propensity scores. Basic clinical information, hospital stay, duration of labor induction, uterine hyperstimulation, rate of labor initiation, vaginal delivery rate, rate of delivery within 24 h, duration of labor, neonatal condition, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other information were compared between different groups. All data were statistically analyzed using independent sample t test, analysis of variance, nonparametric test, Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability test. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the labor initiation and the failure of labor induction. Results:The average hospital stay, the duration from medication to labor initiation and the duration from medication to vaginal delivery were significantly shorter in the oral group than those in the vaginal group [(5.4±2.4) vs. (6.5±2.6) d, (34.2±24.1) vs. (38.9±25.7) h, (45.8±25.8) vs. (53.4±27.8) h; t=5.24, 2.10 and 3.39; all P<0.05]. The total labor initiation rate and vaginal delivery rate in the oral group were significantly higher than those in the vaginal group [92.9% (368/396) vs. 83.5% (182/218), 72.2% (286/396) vs. 60.1% (131/218); χ 2=13.43 and 9.50; both P<0.05]. The incidence of failed induction of labor, uterine hyperstimulation, fetal distress, and intrauterine infection in the oral group were lower than those in the vaginal group [2.0% (8/396) vs. 6.9% (15/218), 4.3% (17/396) vs. 17.9% (39/218), 8.8% (35/396) vs. 14.7% (32/218), 1.3% (5/396) vs. 3.7% (8/218); χ 2=9.21, 31.36, 4.93 and 3.93; all P<0.05]. The duration from medication to labor initiation and to vaginal delivery in the OA group were higher than those in the VA group [(25.8±17.0) vs. (17.4±10.8) h, (37.2±18.8) vs. (29.7±13.5) h; t=3.49 and 2.74; both P<0.05]. There were no significant differences in the labor initiation rate, vaginal delivery rate, rate of delivery within 24 h or the incidence of failed induction of labor between the OA and VA groups (all P>0.05). Women in the VA group were more likely to develop uterine hyperstimulation than those in the OA group [19.2% (14/73) vs. 4.2% (3/72), χ2=7.89, P=0.005]. There were no significant differences in the duration from medication to labor initiation or to vaginal delivery between the VC and OC groups (both P>0.05), but the duration were significantly longer than those in the corresponding medication alone group (VC vs. VA groups: (49.7±24.6) vs. (17.4±10.8) h and (61.6±25.7) vs. (29.7±13.5) h, t=5.31 and 5.13, both P<0.05; OC vs. OA groups: (45.3±26.6) vs. (25.8±17.0) h and (56.1±27.2) vs. (37.2±18.8) h, t=10.35 and 9.78, both P<0.05]. The labor initiation rate, vaginal delivery rate and rate of delivery within 24 h in the OC group were higher than those in the VC group [88.9% (96/108) vs. 77% (87/113), 63.0% (68/108) vs. 47.8% (54/113), 10.3% (7/108) vs. 0.0% (0/113); χ 2=5.49, 5.14 and 7.56; all P<0.05]. The incidence of uterine hyperstimulation in the OC group was 4.6% (5/108), which was lower than that in the VC group [18.6% (21/113), χ 2=10.37, P=0.001]. Logistic regression analysis showed that oral misoprostol and gestational age were positively correlated with labor initiation [ OR (95% CI): 2.18 (1.24-3.90) and 1.43 (1.14-1.79)], while maternal age was negatively correlated with labor initiation [ OR (95% CI): 0.90 (0.82-0.98)]. Moreover, failed induction of labor was negatively correlated with oral misoprostol [ OR (95% CI): 0.37 (0.14-0.91)], but positively correlated with maternal age [ OR (95% CI): 1.21 (1.05-1.40)]. Conclusions:Oral administration of low-dose misoprostol solution is as effective as vaginal misoprostol in promoting cervical ripening. Besides, it can shorten the average hospital stay and reduce the incidence of uterine hyperstimulation, suggesting that low-dose oral misoprostol solution is relatively safer and can be used to promote cervical ripening in late gestation.