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Background: Over the last 30 years, a great increase in the application of technologies in public health, with an undisputed impact on both the effectiveness of performance and the investment and management costs, has occurred. This evidence has induced the development of assessment tools to clarify the relationships among resources, outputs, and outcomes of technological innovations. This analysis was developed in order to examine the use of a telematic system for reporting remotely transmitted cardiotocographic traces, specifically (1) its impact on the health organization and on the appropriateness of the care setting used and (2) the efficiency of its adoption in a regional network., Materials and Methods: We adopted a case-control study on patients' medical records during the first 4 months of 2009, 2010, and 2011 and a cost analysis of resources used for the creation of a computerized telecardiotocography network connecting eight peripheral areas to the operations center., Results: The case-control study showed a reduction in the average hospital stay days for high-risk patients (1.32) and for low-risk patient (1.7) with a total of cost savings of €89,628 for high-risk patients and €170,170 for low-risk patients. The cost savings of the regional network was €20,769.04., Conclusions: The adoption of a remote transmission system of cardiotocography provided a managerial and economic advantage in the reduction of inappropriate admissions for prepartum symptoms and an improvement in the admission indicators (hospital stay days).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of vibroacoustic stimulation (VAS) on computerized cardiotocography short-term variability (STV) and approximate entropy (ApEn) in both low- and high-risk pregnancies. VAS was performed on 121 high- and 95 low-risk pregnancies after 10 minutes of continuous quiet, while their FHR parameters were monitored and recorded by cCTG analysis. Fetal heart rate was recorded using a computer-assisted equipment. Baseline FHR, accelerations, decelerations, STV, long-term irregularity (LTI), ApEn, and fetal movements (FMs) were calculated for defined observational periods before VAS and after 10 minutes. Data were also investigated in relationship with the perinatal outcome. In each group of patients, FHR after VAS remained almost unmodified. Fetal movements significantly increased after VAS in both groups. Results show that only in the high-risk pregnancies, the increase of STV and the decrease of ApEn after VAS were significantly associated with favorable perinatal outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the information content provided by the fluximetry information and the analysis of fetal heart rate (FHR) signals, obtained from cardiotocographic recordings, during prenatal monitoring, in a high risk population. The parameters assessed on FHR signals are divided in: (i) time domain parameters (ii) frequency domain parameters, and (iii) the complexity parameters: Approximate Entropy (ApEn), Sample Entropy (SampEn), Multiscale Entropy (MSE), the Lempel Ziv Complexity (LZC) and the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA). The fetuses were classified as fetal growth restricted (FGR). The results have shown that the FGR fetuses preterm delivered have produced a markedly reduced heart rate variability in respect with those fetuses which were characterized by an alteration in the fluximetric indices. The normal range in cord blood sampling analysis excludes the prolonged hypoxia as a causing factor. Finally, it seems that the residual cardiovascular response in FGR fetuses could be correlated to an alteration in the flow of the main vessels.

After radical resection of cancer of the right colonic flexure, a parietal defect can be created in case of duodenal invasion. In this paper the authors describe an "easy and safe" duodenoplasty surgical technique using an ileal patch.

The objective of this work was to review the activity of TOCOMAT, a system for antepartum cardiotocographic telemonitoring. Nine peripheral units recorded the traces, transmitted them via modem to the University operation center, where the computerized analysis was performed, and received the medical report within a few minutes, via fax or e-mail. Traces were classified as reassuring, nonreassuring, or pathological. The parameters of computerized analysis were grouped together for each week of gestation. The perinatal outcome was also evaluated. In 5 years, 5830 traces were analyzed: 4372 (75%) from 1344 high-risk patients and 1458 (25%) from 529 patients at apparent low risk. The system allowed the identification of high-risk patients (32.8% with nonreassuring traces and 7.1% with pathologic traces) and lowrisk patients (16.3% with nonreassuring traces and 4.3% with pathologic traces) that required further evaluation. The neonatal outcome was good overall. At each week of pregnancy, the mean values of computerized parameters resulted in normal ranges. The TOCOMAT system allowed a decentralization of prenatal surveillance and improved the patients quality of life and the level of prenatal care.

The aim of this article is to illustrate the history of fetal auscultation from the 19(th) century, when the fetus was considered as an object and the obstetrician as a ''mechanic of the birth'', to the present age, when the fetus is a subject and the obstetricians have at their disposal all the means they need to confirm his well-being and to early diagnose his pathologies, even using prenatal telemedicine.

Cardiotocography (CTG) is the most widely used diagnostic technique in clinical practice to monitor fetal health. Cardiotocographic recording also permits to assess maturation of the fetal autonomous nervous system (ANS): fetal heart rate (FHR) modifications may reveal ANS' reactions to stimuli. To assess fetal reactivity, physicians evaluate specific clinical CTG parameters, generally, by means of visual inspection, thus depending on observer's expertise, with lack of reproducibility. Still nowadays, there is a very high intra- and inter-observer variation in the assessment of FHR patterns. More objective methods for CTG interpretation are of crucial importance. For adults, frequency analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive and powerful method to investigate ANS activity. This frequency analysis can also be a valid support for a better knowledge of fetal ANS functional state and reactions. Indeed, fetal HRV is a good indicator of fetal well-being in non-stress conditions. Fetal reactivity is a very important CTG characteristic used to diagnose fetal distress, but its interpretation is still uncertain. The aim of this study is to characterise fetal reactivity proposing new fetal HRV frequency parameters to support a more exhaustive CTG analysis.

We reviewed the first four years of experience with telemonitoring of patients with high-risk pregnancies. Nine peripheral units (eight in Campania, a region of south Italy, and one in Hungary) recorded cardiotocographic traces and transmitted them via modem to an operations centre at the University 'Federico II' in Naples, where the computerized analysis was performed. The medical report was returned to the peripheral unit via fax or email. Four thousand and twenty one traces were recorded: 2674 (67%) from 764 high-risk patients and 1347 (34%) from 499 patients at apparent low risk. The neonatal outcome was good overall. Questionnaires were sent to the operators working at the peripheral units to evaluate the acquisition of specific skills and their level of satisfaction. Sixty-six questionnaires about cardiotocographic trace interpretation were collected. The number of correct answers increased during the study. A total of 33 questionnaires about job satisfaction were collected. The answers showed that the operators gradually overcame their scepticism during the study. A total of 1098 questionnaires were answered by the patients. Their answers showed a moderate level of satisfaction. Telecardiotocography allowed the decentralization of prenatal surveillance.

The study assessed the agreement in cardiotocogram interpretation between the 2CTG computerized system and experienced and inexperienced observers involved in a telecardiotocography project called 'TOCOMAT'. Both observers and computer analyzed FHR baseline, FHR variability, and number of large accelerations and of decelerations. The k coefficient was calculated for the statistical analysis. The interobserver agreement about the evaluation of the FHR baseline and of the large accelerations was good; it was poor about the assessment of the FHR variability and the decelerations. Similar results were obtained for the agreement among observers and computer. The use of a computerized system provides exact values for most CTG parameters; the experts, however, should rely both on clinical features and on the computerized interpretation, to make decisions about management., (Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Telemedicine originates with the combined use of electromedical equipment, information technologies and telecommunication systems designed to improve healthcare by overcoming the limitations of time and space. Moreover, telemedicine also possesses greater didactic potential than instruction by traditional means. Teledidactic networking, both as e-learning and e-teaching, represents a new integrated system of computer-aided education for the development and management of distance learning programs. Our study evaluated the effectiveness of teledidactic applications in the first Italian project in conventional and computerized telecardiotocography (TOCOMAT). Five cardiotocography outpatient monitoring facilities were linked telematically to a university central operating unit to obtain computerized analysis of telecardiotocographic (CTG) tracings and specialist consulting. The peripheral site operators received theoretical-practical training in the function and use of the system, the guidelines for CTG tracing interpretation and the diagnostic-therapeutic protocols. Improvement in learning progress was observed in the reduction of technical errors in CTG recording and in the increased ability of the outpatient clinic staff to select, analyze and interpret test RESULTS. Results from the feedback questionnaires on the didactic impact of the project indicated objective improvement in the specific skills acquired by the physicians at these facilities. The findings also show that a well-structured distance learning course can improve clinical, technical and managerial skills and behavior of healthcare operators by promoting the kind of professional continuing education a modern medical school should provide.

Objective: To describe the clinical results of the first working year of a telemedicine project based on computerised telecardiotocography., Study Design: The project is based on the "TOCOMAT" system, which remotely recorded and processed cardiotocograms performed at five peripheral units from high and low risk patients, then transferred them to a University Operative Centre, where they were displayed, stored and analysed by the 2CTG system and by two expert observers., Results: 457 traces were analysed. The perinatal outcome was good, except for two high-risk fetuses. Both patients and carers had favourable reactions. The management of patients with pregnancies at risk was improved by the interaction of the physicians involved with the experts at the Operative Centre., Conclusions: Telemedicine could enable the decentralization of perinatal surveillance, improving quality of life for pregnant and newborn and rationalizing costs for prenatal care.

We have studied epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression in endometrium and in endometriotic implants, testing a group of 36 women before and after a 4-month gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog (GnRH-a) goserelin depot treatment. Each woman underwent laparoscopy twice. At the initial laparoscopy, before starting treatment, the disease was staged according to the American Fertility Society (AFS) classification and biopsies of endometriotic implants were undertaken. The follow-up laparoscopy was performed within 5 weeks of the last GnRH-a administration. Biopsies were taken from areas of previously noted disease, both visually persistent and visually free of disease. At the time of each laparoscopy, photographs of all areas of disease were taken. Specimens of eutopic endometrium were collected from each patient at the time of laparoscopy by a Novak curette. Endometrial and endometriotic samples were processed for immunohistochemical detection of EGF receptor, using anti-EGF receptor monoclonal antibody Ab-3. After treatment, the marked improvement of AFS score was associated with a dramatic reduction of EGF receptor immunostaining, but the exact meaning of this finding is still not completely understood. The dramatic reduction of EGF receptor expression in eutopic and ectopic endometrium samples after treatment is not obviously related to the hypoestrogenism induced by the drug. It has been suggested that steroid hormones and EGF play a role in regulation of EGF receptor expression, so that drugs such as goserelin depot could act directly at local peripheral level influencing the EGF receptor expression via the production of its ligand.

A young woman had a late relapse from acute lymphoblastic leukemia during her first pregnancy at the 17th week of gestation and decided not to interrupt the pregnancy. A partial remission was obtained with mild chemotherapy (vincristine and prednisone) in a month, then the treatment was intensified, but only partial remission was achieved. A cesarean section was performed at the end of the 7th month, with the delivery of a normal male infant. The patient died of refractory leukemia 9 months later. The baby is now 3 years old with no medical problems. This case suggests that: a) pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of relapse in women in continuous complete remission from leukemia; b) chemotherapy, even intensive, can be safely administered to pregnant women without damaging the fetus, after the first trimester.

Forty-four female volunteers asking for oral contraception, affected by symptomatic benign breast disease (BBD) were evaluated to compare the effects on mastalgia and breast nodularity of two different low dose oral contraceptives (OCs), containing 20 micrograms [corrected] ethinylestradiol + 150 micrograms desogestrel (EE+D) and 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol + 75 micrograms gestodene (EE+G), respectively. Physical examination, bilateral thermography, X-ray and/or ultrasonography of breast, and needle and screw-needle biopsies of mammary tissue were performed in all patients before OCs administration and after six cycles of treatment. OCs administration caused an overall improvement of mastalgia in 53%. Breast nodularity improved only in 8% of patients in both groups. Epithelial tissue modifications in mammary biopsies were observed, with involutive and/or secretory histomorphological and ultrastructural changes, frequently coexisting in different areas of the same breast.

Cervical tissue biopsies from fifteen pregnant women who were seeking a second trimester elective abortion were examined before and after sulprostone systemic administration, to evaluate the hystological and ultrastructural modifications. While light microscopy showed an increase in vascularity and a submucosal edema with an infiltration of inflammatory cells, electron microscopy pointed out a complete dissociation of collagen fibers with a large increase of basic substance constituents. These features are similar to modifications found in the ripening process at term, demonstrating that sulprostone can be useful to prime uterine cervix.