Current topics in obstetrics and gynecology

This edition of our journal begins at the obstetrics section with an article which reviews research in the specialized literature and aims to highlight how biomarkers, such as fasting glucose, HOMA score, glycated hemoglobin and PAPP-A, can constitute a set of parameters for screening gestational diabetes as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, concluding that women who developed gestational diabetes exhibited higher values of biomarkers compared to patients unaffected by this metabolic imbalance.

Further, it is brought under the attention the case of a patient diagnosed at 15 weeks of gestation with a complex of severe fetal anomalies that were confirmed after the termination of pregnancy as body stalk anomaly, a term used to describe a pattern of severe defects that are incompatible with life.

Pregnancy-related low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints among pregnant women, rising to 90% of their total, with significant effects on the quality of life and the ability to perform daily tasks. Thus, the next paper presents an 18-month study on 353 pregnant women with low back pain at the “Elias” University Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, during which there were identified the most frequent risks factors for developing low back pain during pregnancy, as well as the benefits of performing rehabilitation techniques and physiotherapy during the latter stages of pregnancy.

As preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, affecting 5-10% of pregnancies, pointing out innovative screening methods and effective prevention strategies is essential to reduce the incidence and to improve the outcomes for mothers and babies.

Opening the gynecology section, a study was designed to analyze the deleterious effect of endometriosis on ovarian reserve after surgery by studying anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, an issue of major interest, concluding that endometrioma surgery has a negative effect on postoperative AMH levels, especially bilateral endometrio­mas and those greater than 7 cm which are associated with a significant decrease in AMH levels.

Moving on, as breast cancer imposes a significant burden on our society, this review offers a comprehensive analysis of the imaging techniques used in breast cancer diagnosis, assessing their efficacy, strengths, weaknesses and clinical utility.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are responsible for approximately 5% of all cancers, with high-risk types causing nearly all cervical cancer cases. Thus, the clinicians must recognize this diversity, map HPV infections from us­ual locations to rare manifestations, for ensuring the accurate diagnosis and management.

The interdisciplinary section presents a clinical case with the aim to demonstrate that endodontic treatments during pregnancy can be safely performed taking certain precautions.

In the end, it is our great pleasure to invite all of you to the 12^th Congress of the Romanian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the 9^th National Conference of the Romanian HPV Society, which will take place between 12 and 14 September 2024, in Târgu-Mureş, Romania.