Convulsive therapy in psychoses accompanying pregnancy

SELECTED

Toendury:

Anomalies,

Experimental result of chemical, when a given organ monster will result Examples of noxious inhibiting poisons conception.

a Problem

116:'

ABSTRACTS

of Developmental

Physiology,

p. 1009.

and statistical evidence is shown that congenital malformations are the physical, biological, or genetic trauma acting on the embryo at a time For instance, a eyclops or anenceph& or organ system is being formed. only from injury occurring while the nervous system is developing. agents are anoxia, avitaminosis, radiation, virus diseases, growth(e.g., TEM), and mutations due to irradiation of the ovaries prior to Wa~mm

T-d. 97, No. 33, Aug. Best, I’d.

F., and Abdomen,

Straube, W.: p. 1051.

97, No. 34, Aug.

Broad

Ligament

97,

No.

35,

Sept.

H. : Water and Treatment, p. 1134. Gauss, C. J., and Teichmann, of the Cervix, p. 1146.

97, No. 37, Sept. Waleh,

E. : General Oberndoerfer,

Vol.

97,

Pregnancy

at Term

Prpscnting

as .1c-utlt

(Part III), of Vaginal Diseases

p. 1087. Discxharg;l? and

Their

With

F’cw:~lt:

Treatment,

:tr1(1

M/l;tl~a

p. 1091.

8, 1955.

Berning,

I’d.

M.1).

86, 1955.

Tissue Therapy. Freytag, A. : Filatow’s Schirmacher, H. : Diphasic Treatment Hormones, p. 1089. Kchrer, E. : Psychogenic Gynecological Vol.

F. TNBER,

19, 1955,

Electrolyte H.:

Disturbances The

Present

(.Xnical

of

Status

Importance

of Laminaria

anti

Tents

Their

in Dilatation

16, 1955.

The Use of Antibiotics Practitioner, p. 1211. F. M., and Uexkuell,

in Gynecological T.:

Clinical

and

Obst,rtrical

Ohservntions

Infccticrns

on Diamox

(R’),

for

thaw

p. lt’a6.

No. 38, Sept. 63, 1955.

Kleine, H. 0.: Endometriosis “Lutz, 0.: Houssay’s Toad tion, p. 1261. Lutz:

and Civilization, p. 1216. Test in the Evaluation of Threatened

Houssay’s Toad Test in the Evaluation tion, p. 1261.

of Threatened

and

Incomplrt~~

At~or-

and Incomplete

Abor-

This pregnancy test on the male frog and toad is quantitated by the number of sperm per high-power field. The test can be done quickly, usually in less than two hours. These two factors of quantitation and speed are very useful in the differential diagnosis between threatened and incomplete abortion on the one hand, and t.uhal pregnancy and other odnexal masses on the other. No figures are given on reliability but the author leaves t,he impression that the test is just about foolproof. WALTER F. TAUBER, M.D.

New Eng#and Journal Vd.

158, No. %?, JzLne I, 1955. *Laird, Dean M.: Convulsive Lair&

Convulsive

Therapy

Therapy

of Medicine

in Psychoses

Accompanying

in Psychoses Accompanying

Pregnancy,

Pregnancy,

p. 931.

p. 934.

The author describes the case histories of 8 women treated during pregnancy bj electrical convulsive treatments without adjunctive medication to soften the seizures. Io all cases, the treatment was administered for the symptomatic control of seriously disturbed behavior. The treatment was administered in all trimesters of pregnancy, 2 patients receiving treatment during the final week of gestation. No untoward reaction as t,he result of this

1164

SELECTED

therapy dealing bination.

was noted with the

in the patients shock treatment

ABSTRACTS

or the babies. A brief of women who have

review is provided of the literature psychoses and pregnancy in con)DOUGLAS

Surgery, Vol.

101, No.

4, October,

‘Pritchard, Factors Pritchard

Gynecology

HAYNES,

M.D.

and Obstetrics

1955.

Jack A., and Ratnoff, Oscar D.: in Women With Intrauterine and

M.

Ratnoff:

Women With

Studies

Intrauterine

Studies of Fibrinogen and Death and Delayed Delivery,

Other Hemostatic p. 467.

of Fibrinogen and Other Hemostatic Death and Delayed Delivery, p. 467.

Factors

in

This is a study of the clotting mechanism at or near the time of parturition in 31 women with intrauterine retention of a fetus dead for a period of 3 to 12 weeks prior to the termination of the pregnancy. Of the 31 patients, hypofibrinogenemia was found in 5 prior to delivery, although there were no hemorrhagic manifestations at the time. In one patient, hypofibrinogenemia was noted before delivery, when a bleeding tendency was present. In 2 other patients, hypofibrinogenemia was observed following a hemorrhage immediately post partum. Different from the case in abruptio placentae and amniotic fluid embolism where the process of defibrination is fulminating, the authors conclude from serial studies that the process of defibrination in this circumstance may be slowly progressive. They further believe that clotting-time determinations may be of little value in detecting hypofibrinogenemia, since normal clotting times may be encountered in spite of marked hypofibrinogenemia; in their experience the clot observation test has been more accurate. If hypofibrinogenemia or afibrinogenemia is found and the fetus is as yet undelivered, the uterus should be emptied either medically or surgically or by both methods, during which time the patient’s plasma fibrinogen is maintained at a normal level by the intravenous administration of human fibrinogen. The authors present evidence that the process of defibrination ceases with a rapid restitution to normal plasma levels once evacuation of the uterus has been effected. VINCENT

TRICOMI,

M.D.

Item American

Board of Obstetrics

and Gynecology,

Inc.

scheduled examination (Part I), written examination for all candidates, will be held in various cities of the United States, Canada, and military centers outsitle the continental United States, on Friday, Feb. 1, 1957. Case Reports are due in the office of the Secretary within 30 days after notification of eligibility to the examinations and must be compiled in the manner described in the current Bulletin. The

next

ROBERT L. FAULKNER, 2105 ADELBERT ROAD CLEVELAND

6, OHIO

M.D.,

SECRETARY