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Between 1959 and 1968 a cervical cerclage operation was performed 163 times in 159 women because of assumed cervical incompetence. The operation was carried out during pregnancy 156 times, and 3 times in a nonpregnant patient. 4 women had two operations during the same pregnancy. The operations represent 1 in 404 deliveries at the hospital during the study period. The diagnosis of cervical incompetence was based on the history of previous pregnancies in 99 cases (79%). The finding of a short and open cervix was made 85 times (68%), and the diagnosis was supported by the hystero-graphic findings in 11 cases (9%). The average duration of gestation at the time of operation was 14 weeks, and the average total duration of the pregnancies was 35 weeks. The previous foetal salvage rate was 30.8%, and the final success rate 83.2%. The comparable rates for normal deliveries without cervical cerclage at the same clinic were 74.7% and 97.1%, respectively. The abortion rate in the series after treatment was 13.6%. Premature deliveries with loss of the child occurred 4 times, leading to a perinatal mortality rate of 3.2%. Breech presentation was found 10 times (6.3%). Caesarean section was undertaken 23 times (18%) in 21 patients. The ratio of the final success rate and the previous foetal salvage rate (foetal salvage ratio) in the whole series was 2.7, and in the randomly selected cases 1.3. This ratio was the highest (3.8) between 26 and 30 years, and when the operation was performed between the 16th and the 19th weeks of pregnancy (3.3). The minimum benefit rate of the operation was 30% [80.2-30.8 - (97.1-74.7)]%. This rate is little affected by unnecessary operations, while difference between the foetal salvage ratios in the operation and the control materials is greatly affected by them. This difference was 1.4 (2.7-1.3) in this material. The differences in abortion rates, laws and standards of obstetric care lead to differences in the materials. Therefore the following criteria are suggested to be included in the reports concerning cervical cerclage operations: Number of operations per number of deliveries in the study period, Final success rate of the series, Previous foetal salvage rate, Foetal salvage ratio (the ratio of no. 2 and no. 3), Final success rate and previous foetal salvage rate among the mothers without a cervical suture in the same hospital at the same study period, Foetal salvage ratio from no. 5, Difference between foetal salvage ratios in the operation and the control groups, Minimum benefit rate in the operation material [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. HPL concentration was determined by an immunochemical method from 48 serum samples of 41 women with a complication of pregnancy. While no correlation was found between HPL and pregnancy week, a statistically significant correlation was observed between HPL and oestriol. Placental and infant birth weights had a highly significant correlation with HPL. No significant deviation from the standard was observed in the serum HPL of toxaemia patients, or in HPL of those with prolonged pregnancies or variations in foetal heart rate. Because of great individual variation no general limits could be calculated for maternal serum HPL concentration at 30-42 weeks of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case report is presented of an association of diffuse placental haemangiomatosis with severe maternal eclampsia. Eclampsia occurred at the 35th week of an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy in a 20-year old previously healthy woman. An 1800 g dysmature boy was born by caesarean section, and died in 12 hours from an apparent Klebsiella pneumonia. No organic malformations were found at autopsy. The placenta weighed 420 g an J contained, on microscopic examination, a characteristic diffuse placental haemangiomatosis without signs of infection or malignancy. The possible role of the placental lesion in relation to the acute eclamptic period is considered briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raised serum alpha-fetoprotein levels measured by radioimmunoassay were found in 19 out of 24 (79%) patients with primary liver cancer and in 32 out of 311 (10%) patients with other liver diseases. The rise was transient in cases of hepatitis and a transient rise was also seen after alcohol intake ceased in two patients with cirrhosis. alpha-Fetoprotein levels exceeding 500 ng/ml were 30-50 times more common in primary liver cancer than in other liver diseases. A rise in level seems to reflect the extent of liver regeneration in liver diseases other than primary cancer.