American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
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After clinical assessment, pertinent history, and family history, the clinician often has a good idea concerning the cause of a patient's bleeding. The most appropriate laboratory tests can then be ordered. Routine screening tests include a complete blood cell count, platelet count, and evaluation of a peripheral blood sample, a prothrombin time, and an activated partial thromboplastin time. ⋯ In type I disease all bands are present, whereas in the type 2 variants 2A and 2B no high-molecular-weight multimers are seen. Desmopressin acetate (which is available in parenteral form for intravenous use and in a highly concentrated intranasal spray formulation) is the treatment of choice for classic type I disease. The drug effects a rapid release of von Willebrand factor from endothelial cell stor
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Sep 1996
ReviewThe pathophysiology of bleeding disorders presenting as abnormal uterine bleeding.
Abnormal uterine bleeding is often the presenting complaint in women with underlying coagulopathies. A clear understanding of the pathophysiology of common bleeding disorders will help the practicing obstetrician/gynecologist in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The normal hemostatic process can be divided into three phases. ⋯ Disorders of primary hemostasis, including thrombocytopenia and von Willebrand disease, are particularly important to consider when evaluating women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Patients with acquired or congenital deficiencies of either coagulation factors or the regulators of the fibrinolytic system may also present with menorrhagia. Accurate diagnosis of a bleeding disorder is essential to the design of an appropriate therapeutic regimen and is likely to have important clinical implications beyond that of the presenting gynecologic complaint.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Sep 1996
The feasibility of a randomized clinical perinatal trial: maternal magnesium sulfate for the prevention of cerebral palsy.
Because recent epidemiologic data suggest an association between maternal magnesium sulfate use and a decreased risk of cerebral palsy in infants who survive preterm birth, we investigated the feasibility of a randomized trial of intrapartum maternally administered magnesium sulfate to prevent cerebral palsy in children who were born before term. ⋯ A randomized trial of maternally administered intrapartum magnesium sulfate to reduce the rate of cerebral palsy in surviving preterm neonates would be a formidable undertaking, requiring a concerted multicentered effort.