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Objective: To search for a possible correlation between an effective marker of smoking and uterine and placental resistance during pregnancy., Study Design: A prospective study was conducted at the Intercommunal Hospital Center of Montreuil, France: 81 healthy pregnant women underwent uterine and placental Doppler and cotidin blood assay, the best current test for smoking., Results: This study shows a significative increase of utero-placental vascular resistances according with increased cotidine levels., Conclusions: The previously observed association between smoking and perinatal events most likely involves vascular resistance of uterus and placenta.

The authors report two new cases of placenta percreta on a caesarian scar with invasion of the bladder. On the basis of a review of the literature, they demonstrate its seriousness, which is always increased by the unexpected nature of the complications. They therefore recall the clinical and paraclinical factors which can provide grounds for suspecting this possibility, so that the hemostasis hysterectomy required can be carried out on the best possible conditions.

The prevention of chorioamnionitis after preterm rupture of membranes is still controversial. This is due to the lack of power of most studies. These seem to show that the outcome is mostly determined by the gestational age at membrane rupture and a trend at lower chorioamnionitis when antibiotics are used.

The authors report a case history of a vesico-uterine fistula after a caesarean section which was proven by histerography. It presented as the loss of urine together with blood at the periods, which they treated at first by using analogues of LH-RH in order to dry up the loss. They, using this case, have analysed the literature on vesico-uterine fistulae after caesarean operations. This has appeared in the last 10 years. They demonstrate the physiopathology and the symptomatology of these particular fistulae. Symptomatology changes over a time interval in the same patient; and it probably depends on the capacity of the isthmus to recover its tone, as well as the fact that this fistula was localised at the isthmus which is the usual place that it occurs.

A case of 29 weeks gestation abdominal pregnancy is reported as an illustration to a study of that rare gestation mostly occurring in developing countries. Most abdominal pregnancies are secondary. The most common clinical signs are the abdominal pain and uncomfort. The physical signs arise the suspicion of abdominal pregnancy which is confirmed by ultrasound. Most authors don't delay the surgical procedure after the diagnosis. The placenta is mostly often left in situ and mostly. No methotrexate is administered to improve the placenta involution. The abdominal pregnancy is of very bad fetal prognosis and very at risk for the pregnant woman.

The authors examined the attitudes and practices of french obstetrics and gynaecology registrars in the prevention of hyaline membrane disease with steroids. They sent a questionnaire to 185 hospitals all over France. Based on the 110 replies, they conclude that the majority of registrars believe in the effectiveness and use steroids in this indication.

This paper on surgical technique proposes a classification of the various methods of haemostasis of uterine vessels in total simple hysterectomy, by re-grouping the different elements of the scanty descriptions appearing in the classical textbooks of surgical technique. In the first part, the authors recall modern concepts about peri-uterine fascia and the blood supply of the cervix. Then, by means of a logical decision tree, they describe the common procedures of the technique and then the extra- and intra- fascial options with the different modalities proposed for each option by the surgeons who described them.

Pharyngeal epignathus teratoma is an isolated benign tumour, but the prognosis is very indeed because it can so easily obstruct the respiratory or the digestive pathways. Only rarely has this teratoma been diagnosed by ultrasound in the literature. The authors, having had a personal case, decided to discuss the problems in making the diagnosis by ultrasound and in deciding what treatment to carry out.

The authors report a case of septic necrobiosis of leiomyoma uteri the first signs of which were seen at the eighth day after childbirth. After several episodes of discharge of Proteus into the blood, separated by a period of apparent resolution, the disorder was only resolved by hysterectomy carried out upon the request of intensive care staff, despite the desire of the patient for subsequent pregnancies. Bacteriological examination of the necrobiotic myoma showed the presence of Proteus morgani, the antibiotic resistance characteristics of which were the same as those of the Proteus seen in the blood.

The authors report and comment on the results of a prospective study of the usefulness of early treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in pregnant women. The diagnosis is based on a serological examination carried out in the first trimester of pregnancy. 60 women were treated by antibiotics and they were compared with 51 women who were not treated. The two groups were statistically comparable. There was a significant drop in perinatal complications due to Chlamydia trachomatis. The difference was particularly significant as far as low birth weight and the incidence of conjunctivitis in the newborn was concerned. These results show how useful it is to carry out serological screening and early treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in pregnancy.