Background:Implantation remains a limiting step in IVF/ICSI. Endometrial injury isa promising procedure aiming at improving the implantation and pregnancy rates after IVF/ICSI. Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endometrial injury induced in precedingcycle on IVF/ICSI outcome.Materials and Methods:Four hundred patients undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle in two IVF units in Minia, Egypt were randomly selected to undergo either endometrial injury in luteal phase of preceding cycle (intervention group) or no treatment (control group). Primary outcome wasthe implantation and live birth ratesWhile the secondary outcome was clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, multiple pregnancy rates, pain and bleeding during and after procedure.Results:Implantation and live birth rates were significantly higher in intervention compared with control group (22.4% vs. 18.7%, p=0.02 and 67% vs. 28%, p=0.03), respectively. There was also a significant reduction in miscarriage rate in intervention group (4.8% vs. 19.7%, respectively, p<0.001).Conclusion:Endometrial injury in preceding cycle improves the implantation rate and live birth rate and reduces the miscarriage rate per clinical pregnancy in patients undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle.

Twenty-four patients with petroclival meningiomas were operated upon at the neurosurgical clinic of the City Hospital of Hannover between 1978 and 1987. Seventeen were women and seven men; the mean age was 45 years. Symptoms were usually present for more than 2 years before the diagnosis was made. The most common symptom was disturbance of gait; the most common preoperative sign was cranial nerve deficit, mainly of the 7th and 8th nerves. Preoperative neuroradiological evaluation included computed tomography and four-vessel cerebral angiography. Fifteen patients (62%) had a tumor larger than 2.5 cm in its major diameter. The surgical approaches used were the retromastoid, pterional, subtemporal, and combined retromastoid-subtemporal. We developed a modification of the retromastoid-subtemporal approach with preservation of the transverse sinus and used this in the last 2 patients. There was no postoperative death; 11 patients (46%) suffered postoperative complications, mainly in the form of cranial nerve deficits, often reversible. "Total" tumor removal was achieved in 17 patients (71%). Twenty patients (83%) were independent at the time of discharge from the hospital. With accurate neuroradiological evaluation, careful choice of the surgical approach, and sound application of microsurgical techniques, petroclival meningiomas may be "totally" and safely resected in a significant number of patients.

STUDY QUESTIONWould letrozole as a primary ovulation induction agent generate better pregnancy rates than clomiphene citrate (CC) in subfertile women with anovulatory polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)?SUMMARY ANSWERParticipants receiving letrozole as a primary treatment achieved a significantly (P = 0.022) higher clinical pregnancy rate per patient (61.2%) compared to CC (43.0%).WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYAccording to a recent Cochrane systematic review (2014), letrozole appears to improve live-birth (LB) and pregnancy rates in anovulatory women with PCOS, compared to CC. However, the review concluded that the quality of evidence was low due to poor reporting of study methods and possible publication bias.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) included 159 participants between April 2007 and June 2014. Subjects were randomly allocated to either CC (n = 79) or letrozole (n = 80) in a 1:1 ratio. Both drugs were encapsulated to look identical. Randomization was performed in mixed blocks and stratified by patients’ BMI (<30 and 30–35 kg/m2).PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSThe trial included subfertile women diagnosed with PCOS. Treatment started with one tablet (CC 50 mg, letrozole 2.5 mg) increasing to two in non-responders and continuing until pregnancy or for up to six ovulatory cycles. Non-responders were crossed over to the other treatment after a 6-week break. Cycles were initially monitored with ultrasound follicle tracking then mid-luteal serum progesterone measurement in subsequent cycles.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEAmongst the 159 participants included in the intention-to-treat analysis, four women conceived before treatment and six were lost-to-follow-up. The remaining 149 participants (74 on CC and 75 on letrozole) completed at least the first treatment. Women receiving letrozole achieved a significantly (P = 0.022; absolute difference [95% confidence interval] 18% [3–33%]) higher pregnancy rate (61.%) than those on CC (43%). The median number of treatment cycles received until pregnancy was significantly (log rank P = 0.038) smaller with letrozole (4[3–5] cycles) compared to CC (6[4–7] cycles). LB rates were not statistically (P = 0.089) different between the two groups, although there was a trend towards higher rates on letrozole (48.8%) compared to CC (35.4%). After the crossover, pregnancy and LB rates on letrozole (n = 45; 28.9 and 24.4%, respectively) were not statistically (P = 0.539 and P = 0.601) different from CC (n = 31; 22.6 and 19.4%).LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONOne possible limitation of this trial may be the exclusion of PCOS women with BMI > 35 kg/m2, which would limit the applicability of the results in this subgroup of PCOS. However, this group of women are generally excluded from treatment in the majority of fertility centres, especially in Europe, due to the associated challenges and risks.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe results of this trial are consistent with the recent Cochrane systematic review. However, with its...