Along with the findings of recent years in medical imaging, a wide range of contrast agents have been developed and used in order to improve the quality of the images acquired and to get a diagnosis with the highest accuracy. Modern substances used in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging contain ions with one or more free electrons, which have fewer side effects and are eliminated by the kidney in a short time. This is used in MRI practice in T1 section, where these substances reduce relaxation time and increase signal strength. Our study included a group of 17 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer, who were also investigated by MRI technique with paramagnetic contrast agents. We followed the cervix-related aspects in the T1 and T2 sections and applied the EMVI score criteria to determine the level of extramural invasion of the blood vessels. The results are conclusive in the advanced stages of the disease when EMVI staging criteria are similar to those of TNM.

Background There is no clear consensus on the management of caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP), a complex and life-threatening condition. The objective of this study was to present a novel approach to management of CSP that combines medical therapy of multidose methotrexate and mifepristone with active surgical management by uterine curettage and consecutive local haemostasis. Case presentation We report on a prospective case series of six women with first trimester pregnancy, in whom the diagnosis of CSP was confirmed by 2D and color Doppler transvaginal ultrasound and serial hormone chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) testing. Women were between 23 and 36 years old and had at least one previous delivery by caesarean. At admission, gestational age ranged between 6 to 14 weeks, and serum hCG levels between 397 and 23,000 mUI/ml. Upon decision of pregnancy termination, medical management was undertaken in all cases and 1 mg/kg systemic Methotrexate was administered between 1 and 5 daily doses. Mifepristone was part of the treatment in cases with live pregnancy. Surgical management was employed for the cases were an embryo was seen by ultrasound, being prompted by inadequate response to Methotrexate and/or signs of miscarriage with vaginal bleeding. Curettage combined with local isthmic balloon or vaginal pack tamponade prevented further complications. High treatment rates with preservation of fertility was achieved in all patients except one who underwent hysterectomy for invasive placentation. Ultrasound and hCG levels surveillance ensured that the resolution of pregnancy was achieved. Conclusion Women with history of delivery by caesarean section should be carefully monitored in future pregnancies for prompt diagnosis of CSP. Early diagnosis of CSP allows selection of successful conservative therapy. Through this case series we contribute with our experience to the body of knowledge about the management of this serious complication of early pregnancy.

Background: The most commonly known cardiac effect of gestational diabetes mellitus (GD) in the fetus is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but recent studies show that it is preceded by subclinical cardiac dysfunction. This study aimed to assess the effect of GD on fetal cardiac geometry and contractility by two-dimensional speckle-tracking technology. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study that included 33 pregnant patients with GD and 30 healthy individuals. For all fetuses, a four-chamber 3 s cine-loop was recorded and analyzed with Fetal Heart Quantification (FetalHQ®), a novel proprietary speckle-tracking software. The following cardiac indices were calculated: global sphericity index (GSI), global longitudinal strain (GLS), fractional area change (FAC), and 24-segment end-diastolic diameter (EDD), fractional shortening (FS), and sphericity index (SI) for both ventricles. Demographic and cardiac differences between the two groups were analyzed, as well as intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. Results: There were significant changes in right ventricular FAC and FS for segments 4–24 in fetuses exposed to GD (−1 SD, p < 0.05). No significant differences were detected for GSI, GLS, EDD, or SI for either ventricle. Conclusions: Fetuses exposed to GD present impaired right ventricular contractility, especially in the mid and apical segments.

Because of its histological and embryological complex development, the ovary can be the source of a large variety of tumors, ovarian cancer being the fifth female neoplasia as a frequency. A major clinical significance is that the ovarian tumor is asymptomatic for a long period of time.Ovarian proliferative pathology raises a number of important issues from both theoretical and practical point of view. The change in the therapeutic attitude, especially in the areas of surgery and chemotherapy, has led in the last decades to an improvement in the survival rate. Our retrospective study included the analysis of 64 patients with ovarian cancer. Ovarian neoplasms should have a multidisciplinary approache with individualized treatment for each patient. The long-term survival remains, however, the detection of the tumor at an early stage, the undetectment in the initial stages leading to a survival rate of 5 years less than 20%.

Endometriosis (EMS) is a benign condition characterized by a systemic inflammation that affects fertile women at reproductive age. Ultrasound became, in recent years, the method of choice for both effective diagnostic and preoperative planning. Therefore, accurate characterization and mapping of endometriotic lesions is imperative in such circumstances to enable optimal approach of treatment, whether surgical or non-surgical based on the severity of the findings. This pictorial essay outlines a practical approach to evaluating patients with deep endometriosis by means of transvaginal ultrasound. The technical aspects are in conjunction with both consensus of the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis (IDEA) group and the hands-on experience acquired through daily clinical practice.