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An abstract of the article "A comparison between ultrasonography and hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of uterine pathology," by D. Vitner, I. Solt, S. Filmar, I. Goldstein and Z. Weiner is presented.

Background: To investigate the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and gender on the incidence and survival of patients with bladder cancer on a small scale within the city of Hamburg, Germany., Methods: Patients documented in the Hamburg Cancer Registry aged ≥ 18 years with primary bladder carcinoma (ICD-10: C67, D09.0), diagnosed in the period 2004-2020 (follow-up until 31.12.2021), and residing in Hamburg were included. The patients were divided into three groups (low, intermediate, and high SES) based on the socioeconomic situation at the district level, defined by the proportion of unemployed individuals, social housing, benefit recipients according to law, etc. Relative survival in the years 2004-2020 was calculated using a period approach., Results: Among the 10,659 patients included, age-standardized 5-year relative survival (5YRS) in 2004-2020 correlated with SES. The age-standardized 5YRS differed significantly between patients with high and intermediate SES vs low SES. Women with low SES had the worst 5YRS at 58.2%, while men with high SES presented the best relative 5YRS at 73.5%. This effect remained after stratification by UICC stages. Concerning incidence, there is an indication that women with low SES were more often diagnosed in higher UICC stages III or IV than women with high SES (18.3% versus 12.6%)., Conclusions: The socioeconomic situation at the time of diagnosis, as well as gender, has a substantial impact on the incidence and cancer survival rates in patients with bladder cancer. Further research, including the study of patient care, is needed to better understand and address these inequalities., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: Primary mediastinal germ cell tumours (PMGCTs) are rare mediastinal neoplasms, and their diagnosis can be challenging, owing to small biopsy samples. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic algorithm using immunohistochemical staining, with a focus on novel markers, and molecular analysis of isochromosome 12p [i(12p)]., Methods and Results: Paraffin-embedded tissues of 32 mediastinal tumours were analysed with immunohistochemical staining for sal-like transcription factor 4 (SALL4), Lin-28 homologue A (LIN28), octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (OCT3/4), D2-40, cluster of differentiation 117 (CD117), sex-determining region Y-box 17, sex-determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2), cluster of differentiation 30, the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3), forkhead box protein A2 (FOXA2), glypican-3 (GPC3), α-fetoprotein (AFP), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), nuclear protein of the testis (NUT), and pan-cytokeratin. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to investigate the i(12p) status. Fifteen seminomas, seven teratomas, one yolk sac tumour, one choriocarcinoma and seven mixed PMGCTs were diagnosed. Each entity had different immunohistochemical staining patterns, which helped to distinguish them: OCT3/4, D2-40, CD117 and TdT for seminoma; OCT3/4 and SOX2 for embryonal carcinoma; FOXA2, GPC3 and AFP for yolk sac tumour; and β-hCG and GATA3 for choriocarcinoma. Mature teratomas stained positively for pan-cytokeratin in epithelial components and focally for SALL4, SOX2, GATA3, D2-40, and FOXA2. Furthermore, a NUT carcinoma mimicking a PMGCT was diagnosed, showing strong nuclear SOX2 staining and speckled nuclear NUT staining. i(12p) was detected in 24 of 27 PMGCTs (89%)., Conclusion: A diagnostic algorithm is of great importance for a reliable diagnosis of PMGCT in, usually small, tissue biopsy samples. Therefore, a combination of three to four antibodies to identify the correct histological subtype is usually necessary, in addition to morphological features. The i(12p) status serves as an additional option to indicate a germ cell origin in selected cases., (© 2021 The Authors. Histopathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: Malignant germ cell tumours (GCTs) of the testis are rare neoplasms, but the most common solid malignancies in young men. World Health Organization guidelines divide GCTs into five types, for which numerous immunohistochemical markers allow exact histological subtyping in the majority of cases. In contrast, a germ cell origin is often hard to prove in metastatic GCTs that have developed so-called somatic malignant transformation. A high percentage, up to 89%, of GCTs are characterised by the appearance of isochromosome 12p [i(12p)]. Fluorescence in-situ hybridisation has been the most common diagnostic method for the detection of i(12p) so far, but has the disadvantages of being time-consuming, demanding, and not being a stand-alone method. The aim of the present study was to establish a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay as an independent method for detecting i(12p) and regional amplifications of the short arm of chromosome 12 by using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue., Methods and Results: A cut-off value to distinguish between the presence and absence of i(12p) was established in a control set consisting of 36 tumour-free samples. In a training set of 149 GCT samples, i(12p) was detectable in 133 tumours (89%), but not in 16 tumours (11%). In a test set containing 27 primary and metastatic GCTs, all 16 tumours with metastatic spread and/or somatic malignant transformation were successfully identified by the detection of i(12p)., Conclusion: In summary, the qPCR assay presented here can help to identify, further characterise and assign a large proportion of histologically inconclusive malignancies to a GCT origin., (© 2020 The Authors. Histopathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: To evaluate the learning curve of senior urogynecologic surgeons performing laparoscopic sacral colpopexy (LSCP) and to assess outcomes and complications of LSCP., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 47 consecutive women who underwent LSCP for pelvic organ prolapse repair between March 2009 and December 2010 at one tertiary medical center. Preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative, and demographic data were retrieved from patients' electronic charts. Pelvic organ support was assessed objectively using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification scale (POP-Q). Anatomic failure was determined as POP-Q stage ≥ II., Results: The mean age of patients was 58 years (range 35-73 years). Seven (15 %) who opted to retain their uterus underwent sacrohysteropexies. The median POP-Q was III (II-IV). Of the 47 operations, 96 % (45) were completed by laparoscopy. The duration of surgery decreased as experience of the surgical team increased, from a mean of 196 ± 62 min for the first 15 cases to 162 ± 30 min for the subsequent 30. Four patients (9 %) presented with recurrence of prolapse; three (7 %) had de novo stress urinary incontinence; two sustained a cystotomy during adhesiolysis, and one had a port-site hernia., Conclusions: LSCP is a safe and effective treatment for pelvic organ prolapse, with very few complications. Following the first 15 cases of one surgical team, operative time decreased considerably.

Objective: Ovarian adrenal rest tumors (OARTs) are rare in contrast to testicular adrenal rest tumors. We report a case of OART in a patient with congenital adrenal hyperplasia who developed Nelson's syndrome after bilateral adrenalectomy., Methods: We describe the clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings of the patient and review the relevant literature regarding OART and the possible interaction between ACTH and brown adipose tissue., Results: An 18-year-old female with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, who had undergone bilateral adrenalectomy at the age of 10 years, presented with severe hyperpigmentation and hirsutism. Rectal ultrasonography showed a mass in the right ovary. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT revealed intense uptake both in this mass and in brown adipose tissue located in typical supradiaphragmatic sites. Laparoscopic removal of the ovarian mass confirmed the diagnosis of OART. A systematic review revealed 9 documented cases of OART. As in our case, all presented with elevated ACTH levels., Conclusions: Common to all documented cases of OART are sustained high ACTH levels that activate the adrenal anlagen tissue in the ovaries., (2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

In a previous study we have demonstrated that tissue transection with a carbon dioxide laser produces less carbon and less foreign body reaction than electromicrosurgery. The purpose of this study was to compare the healing process subsequent to transection of the rat uterine horn with carbon dioxide laser and microscissors. Incisions were histologically examined on postoperative days 0, 4, 10, 14, and 21. The following histologic parameters were assessed: scar width; amount of carbon and necrotic debris; number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, histiocytes, and giant cells; and extent of edema, exudate, and collagen in the scar. The results show that cutting with a carbon dioxide laser causes significantly more necrosis and hence more extensive foreign body reaction than cutting with microscissors.

This communication presents a small series of patients operated on for tubal occlusion resulting from undiagnosed tubal pregnancy. In three of the five patients, tubotubal anastomosis after the resection of the affected tubal segment was performed on a single tube. Two of these three patients achieved viable pregnancies. This fact supports the value of reconstructive tubal microsurgery in arrested tubal pregnancy. The histopathologic findings suggest that chorionic villi are capable of surviving in a recognizable form for at least 15 months after the demise of the tubal pregnancy.

Loss of fertility due to prior segmental resection of the fallopian tube (for ectopic pregnancy or sterilization) can be treated with a free fimbrial graft, especially when the fimbrial segment is contralateral to the proximal tube that is needed for the anastomosis. To evaluate the structure and function of the fimbria after free grafting, the fimbria was cut from the tube and sewn without a blood supply to the peritoneum in 14 rabbits. After convalescence, scanning electron microscopy showed fewer secondary mucosal folds in the grafted fimbria than in the normal fimbria. The ciliated and secretory cells in the graft were identical to those of normal cells. The transport rate of surrogate ova across the grafted fimbrial mucosa was consistent with that across the normal fimbrial mucosa, demonstrating that near-normal structure and function are preserved after a free graft of the fimbria.

This study was undertaken to assess the relative effectiveness of the CO2 laser and electromicrosurgery in adhesiolysis. Intraperitoneal adhesions were produced in 44 female white rats by inflicting a standard and reproducible injury to the serosa of a specific area of the right uterine horn. At a second intervention, 2 weeks later, the adhesions formed by the initial injury were assessed and division of adhesions effected in a random manner, either with the use of the CO2 laser or with electromicrosurgery, adhering to accepted microsurgical techniques. At a third intervention, results were assessed. The results demonstrate that electromicrosurgery and the CO2 laser are equally effective for adhesiolysis in the rat model.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare histologic parameters of wound healing subsequent to a standard uterine incision with carbon dioxide laser and electromicrosurgery in the rat model. The following histologic parameters were assessed and scored: scar width; amount of particulate carbon and necrotic debris; number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, lymphocytes, histiocytes, and giant cells; and extent of edema, exudate, and collagen in the scar. The incisions were evaluated on postoperative days 0, 4, 7, 14, and 21. The ensuing scars were similar with respect to scar width and the amount of collagen in the scar. Foreign body reaction, denoted by histiocytes and giant cells, was significantly more pronounced in the electromicrosurgery group. Carbon particles, along with necrotic debris, appear to induce a foreign body tissue reaction. The particulate carbon in the electromicrosurgical incisions was significantly more extensive and was associated with the pronounced and longer lasting foreign body reaction in this group.

The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of adhesions after a standard uterine injury inflicted by laparoscopy or by laparotomy during which microsurgical principles were observed. The cross-sectional areas of adhesions involving the uterus were assessed and the 31 rats operated upon laparoscopically were compared with the 30 rats subjected to a laparotomy. The mean area of uterine adhesions formed in the laparotomy group was 4.29 mm2 and 8.88 mm2 in the laparoscopy group. The difference was not statistically significant. The results imply that a standard tissue injury to uterine tissue, whether conducted by laparoscopy or via laparotomy, carries the same potential to induce postoperative adhesions.