Fetal heart rate and beat-to-beat variability during fetal breathing movements were investigated by abdominal fetal electrocardiography. The mean (M-RR) and the standard deviation (SD-RR) of R-R intervals and the percentage of absolute beatto-beat differences below 2 msec (2 msec %) were measured by computerized quantification, Fetal breathing movements were associated with a significant increase in SD-RR (from 8.73 k 5.59 during apnea t o 16.7 f 5.67 during breathing) and a significant decrease in 2 msec % (from 44.1 f 12.4 during apnea t o 27.9 k 8.65 during breathing). According t o discriminant analysis, the 2 msec % was the best coefficient for classifying fetal breathing episodes. Thus the determination of 2 msec % is useful in assessing fetal heart rate variability by abdominal fetal electrocardiography.

A 38‐year‐old patient with choriocarcinoma who was tolerant to MTX and Act‐D and highly refractory to MECA therapy after hysterectomy and bilateral oophorec‐tomy was treated with 4 courses of BCE therapy. One course of BCE therapy consisted of bleomycin (Bleo Inj.®, Nihon Kayaku Co., Ltd., Tokyo Japan. Day 1–5: 5 mg i.v. infusion/day); cisplatin (Briplatin®, Bristol‐Myers Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. Day 1; 50 mg i.v. infusion/m2); and VP16‐213, (Etoposide, Day 1–5: 100 mg i.v. infusion/m2 /day). This treatment was successful in achieving complete remission.