PURPOSE: Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is routinely performed under general, not regional anesthesia. This study assessed the feasibility, efficacy, and side effects of combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) in LA. METHODS: Thirty-three American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) physical status classification grade I patients underwent LA under CSEA. CSEA was performed using the needle-through-needle technique at the L₃–L₄ interspace. Preoperative and postoperative adverse events related to CSEA, patient satisfaction, and postoperative pain levels were recorded. RESULTS: LA under CSEA was performed successfully in 33 patients (84.6%). Peroperatively, right shoulder pain was observed in 8 patients (24.1%), abdominal discomfort in 6 (18.2%), anxiety in 5 (15.2%), hypotension in 2 (6.1%) and nausea-vomiting in 1 (3%). In the first 24 hours after LA, headache, urinary retention, right shoulder pain, and postoperative nausea/vomiting (PONV) occurred in 18.1%, 12.1%, 9.1%, and 0% of patients, respectively. In the first 6 hours postoperation, no patients had operation-site pain that required analgesic treatment. Thirty-one patients (94%) evaluated their satisfaction with the procedure as good or moderate. CONCLUSION: CSEA is an efficient and suitable anesthesia technique in LA for ASA physical status classification grade I healthy patients. CSEA is associated with good postoperative pain control and the absence of PONV and intubation-associated complications.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Anxiety ; Appendectomy* ; Appendicitis ; Classification ; Feasibility Studies* ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Laparoscopy ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patient Satisfaction ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Prospective Studies* ; Shoulder Pain ; Urinary Retention

Objectives: Symptomatic local treatment of vaginal atrophy (VA) in menopausal women includes hormonal and nonhormonal preparations. Some women may be reluctant to use vaginal estradiol preparations because of the concern for developing breast cancer and endometrial hyperplasia. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of alternative vaginal drugs, such as promestriene, an estrogen agonist, and sodium hyaluronate (NaH), a nonhormonal, water-based agent. Methods: Ninety-one postmenopausal women diagnosed with symptomatic VA were divided into three groups and treated for 12 weeks; 30 women with vaginal estradiol (VE), 30 women with promestriene, and 31 women with NaH. Composite scoring, vaginal maturation index (VMI), pH, frequency of sexual activity, serum hormone levels, and endometrial thickness were evaluated VA before and after treatment. Results: In the comparison of VA examination findings composite scoring, VMI, and vaginal pH values, three different drugs were found to be effective in the treatment (P < 0.05). The VMI following VE treatment was significantly higher than that after NaH treatment (P = 0.031), whereas the promestriene group had a more positive change than the others in terms of increase in after treatment composite scoring and sexual activity frequency (P = 0.031, P = 0.020). There were no differences between the groups in terms of pre and after treatment serum E2 levels and endometrial thickness. Conclusions Based on these findings, we can conclude that the use of promestriene or NaH can prove to be as effective and well tolerated as vaginal estradiol in the symptomatic treatment of vaginal atrophy.

Objectives: Symptomatic local treatment of vaginal atrophy (VA) in menopausal women includes hormonal and nonhormonal preparations. Some women may be reluctant to use vaginal estradiol preparations because of the concern for developing breast cancer and endometrial hyperplasia. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of alternative vaginal drugs, such as promestriene, an estrogen agonist, and sodium hyaluronate (NaH), a nonhormonal, water-based agent. Methods: Ninety-one postmenopausal women diagnosed with symptomatic VA were divided into three groups and treated for 12 weeks; 30 women with vaginal estradiol (VE), 30 women with promestriene, and 31 women with NaH. Composite scoring, vaginal maturation index (VMI), pH, frequency of sexual activity, serum hormone levels, and endometrial thickness were evaluated VA before and after treatment. Results: In the comparison of VA examination findings composite scoring, VMI, and vaginal pH values, three different drugs were found to be effective in the treatment (P < 0.05). The VMI following VE treatment was significantly higher than that after NaH treatment (P = 0.031), whereas the promestriene group had a more positive change than the others in terms of increase in after treatment composite scoring and sexual activity frequency (P = 0.031, P = 0.020). There were no differences between the groups in terms of pre and after treatment serum E2 levels and endometrial thickness. Conclusions Based on these findings, we can conclude that the use of promestriene or NaH can prove to be as effective and well tolerated as vaginal estradiol in the symptomatic treatment of vaginal atrophy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prognostic role of preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the need for para-aortic lymphadectomy in patients with primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-one patients with a diagnosis of PFTC were identified through the gynecologic oncology service database of six academic centers. Clinicopathological, surgical, and complete blood count data were collected. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, advanced stage, suboptimal surgery, and NLR > 2.7 were significant prognostic factors for progression-free survival, whereas in multivariate analysis, only advanced stage and suboptimal surgery were significant. In addition, in univariate analysis, cancer antigen 125 > or = 35 U/mL, ascites, advanced stage, suboptimal surgery, NLR > 2.7, PLR > 233.3, platelet count > or =400,000 cells/mm3, staging type, and histological subtype were significant prognostic factors for overall survival (OS); however, in multivariate analysis, only advanced stage, suboptimal surgery, NLR > 2.7, and staging type were significant. Inclusion of pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in surgery showed significant association with longer OS, with a mean and median OS of 42.0 months and 35.5 months (range, 22 to 78 months), respectively, vs. 33.5 months and 27.5 months (range, 14 to 76 months), respectively, for patients who underwent surgery without para-aortic lymphadenectomy (hazard ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 5.7; p=0.002). CONCLUSION: NLR (in both univariate and multivariate analysis) and PLR (only in univariate analysis) were prognostic factors in PFTC. NLR and PLR are inexpensive and easy tests to perform. In addition, patients with PFTC who underwent bilateral pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy had longer OS.
Ascites ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Platelets* ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Fallopian Tubes* ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymphocytes* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neutrophils* ; Platelet Count