PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of an ultrasonographic measurement of placental thickness and the correlation of a thick placenta with adverse perinatal outcome.MethodsPlacental thickness was measured in single gravidas, 16 to 40 weeks of gestation, between 2005 and 2009. Placentas were considered to be thick if their measured thickness were above the 95th percentile for gestational age.ResultsThe incidence of thick placentas was 4.3% (138/3,183). Perinatal morbidity and neonatal conditions were worse in cases with thick placenta rather than without thick placenta.ConclusionsUltrasonographic measurement of placental thickness is a simple method to estimate placental size. Thick placenta may be a useful predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

We reported a detailed obstetric course of a Japanese patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the AEBP1 gene. She was diagnosed with classical EDS at 3 years of age. At 33 years, whole-exome sequencing revealed a homozygous nonsense variant (c.1894C > T:p.Arg632*) in AEBP1. This is the 10th case of AEBP1-related EDS (classical-like EDS type 2) and the first in Japan. She was managed as an inpatient at our hospital beginning at 20 weeks of gestation because of the possibility of high-risk pregnancy. She experienced painful urinary retention, migraines, and threatened premature labor. She delivered a healthy female via elective caesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation. She was treated in the intensive care unit for severe paralytic ileus, postoperatively. Conservative therapy resulted in favorable outcomes, and she was safely discharged on postdelivery day 22nd.

Background: Hypereosinophilia commonly reflects an allergic, infectious, or neoplastic disease, and is a rare complication during pregnancy. Case: A 27-year-old pregnant woman was referred to our hospital due to dyspnea at 10 weeks’ gestation. Ultrasound examination showed the presence of pericardial effusion, pleural effusion, and ascites. Fluid transfusion, diuretic administration, and oxygen supplementation gradually improved the symptoms. Thereafter, the blood eosinophil count increased acutely and the fetus died. Following cessation of pregnancy the blood eosinophil count gradually decreased. Laboratory examinations did not assist the diagnosis of eosinophilia. Conclusion: This is the first case of hypereosinophilia associated with the life-threatening hyperpermeability symptoms, i.e., pericardial effusion, pleural effusion, and ascites, during early pregnancy.

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease caused by the persistence of antiphospholipid antibodies. Moreover, there is a significantly increased risk of pregnancy complications in women with APS. The treatment is antithrombotic therapy. However, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is known as a severe complication of heparin utilization. HIT is an autoimmune disease caused by anti-heparin antibodies. Nevertheless, patients with APS frequently receive heparin as treatment for thrombotic events. The authors report a case of a Japanese woman with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) and deep vein thrombosis who became pregnant following assisted reproduction technology. However, she suffered an intrauterine fetal death associated with HIT.

A 71-year-old woman with right chest and left lumbar pain was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography showed multiple recurrent tumors in the abdominal cavity and bilateral lungs. She had already received several chemotherapies for the recurrent tumor, and palliative care would be appropriate. However, she was seeking another anti-cancer therapy. Therefore, she was told about low-dose etoposide therapy and consented to its administration. Treatment was very effective; serum tumor marker levels decreased dramatically, the pain was controlled, and the recurrent masses were shrinking. However, her recurrent tumor had become refractory again in the 22nd month of treatment.