Hum Reprod

Cancer of the colon in an egg donor: policy repercussions for donor recruitment.

Year 1998
Ahuja KK. Simons EG.
Cromwell IVF and Fertility Centre, Cromwell Hospital, London, UK.
This paper describes the tragic case of a young woman who died of cancer of the colon after successfully donating eggs to her younger sister. Although there is no direct link between her operation and the subsequent development of bowel carcinoma, this case imparts a feeling of unease when seen in conjunction with other cases reported during the last few years. It is a reminder that little is known of the long-term consequences of some aspects of assisted conception. Women undergoing ovarian stimulation for themselves or a matched recipient have the right to be advised, in an agreed format, that there is some concern about unproven potential risks from the stimulatory drugs. The safety of egg donors must assume priority over all other considerations, including lack of donors or any moral position. The recent decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to withdraw any form of payment or recompense to egg donors does not seem to us to be based on a balance of scientific advances, patient needs and the ethics of gamete supply. They state that the intention to withdraw payments was implicit in the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Act. However the Act was based on the Warnock report made 6 years earlier. Even in 1990 ovum donation was uncommon and fertility drugs had not yet caused any unease. The Act provided the HFEA with discretionary powers to issue directions so that the future policies would be consistent with any emerging new medical evidence. It is imperative that the HFEA provide convincing evidence on how the current policy of payment to donors harms society, donors or recipients, and how in the UK the new policy will improve medical practice in assisted conception. Successful pilot studies must precede the implementation of any new policy. Failure to do this could cause irreversible harm to the practice of assisted conception using donor gametes, which will ultimately be against the basic aims of the 1990 HFE Act.

Management of chylous ascites following laparoscopic presacral neurectomy.

Year 1998
Chen FP. Lo TS. Soong YK.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
Chylous ascites is an extremely rare complication of laparoscopic presacral neurectomy (LPSN), and treatment is still controversial. Four patients undergoing LPSN for dysmenorrhoea or chronic pelvic pain were complicated with chylous ascites. Two were successfully treated with bipolar cauterization and one, after the failure of initial treatment by bipolar cauterization, was then effectively managed by compression with Gelform and closure of the peritoneum of the presacral area by suture through laparoscopy. The fourth patient had persistent chyle leakage from the drainage tube after electrocauterization and was finally cured by conservative management including removal of the drainage tube and a low-fat diet for 3 weeks. Chylous ascites has not been reported in laparoscopic presacral neurectomy. Management that is quick, effective and subjects the patients to the least amount of suffering is still unresolved. Repeated laparoscopy can be considered to identify the possibility of injury to lymphatic vessels, to relieve abdominal distention due to chyle accumulation, and to apply electrocauterization or compression with Gelform and closure of the peritoneum. Conservative treatment with a low-fat diet may need a longer time. The use of a drainage tube may provide negative pressure allowing a continuous leakage of chyle. However, more controlled study is required to identify the most proper and effective management.

Appendectomy under local anaesthesia following conscious pain mapping with microlaparoscopy.

Year 1998
Almeida OD Jr. Val-Gallas JM. Rizk B.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, USA.
The appendix is an under-appreciated source of chronic pelvic pain. Laparoscopic evaluation of the appendix is limited without intra-operative patient feedback on the presence and absence of pain. New techniques using local anaesthesia with conscious sedation have enabled us to perform operative laparoscopic surgery while the patient is awake. We report the first two cases of microlaparoscopic appendectomies performed under local anaesthesia with conscious sedation following diagnosis obtained during conscious pain mapping.