title: Successful myomectomy during pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although leiomyomas usually remain asymptomatic during pregnancy, they may complicate its course. In this study, pregnancy outcome observed when myomectomy was performed during pregnancy in carefully selected patients is presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study of 13 women who underwent myomectomy during pregnancy between January 1994 and December 2001. Surgical management of leiomyoma was required on the basis of characteristics of the myoma and symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among a total of 15,579 women registered at the authors' prenatal clinic, 622 consecutive pregnant women had sonographically identified myoma; hence, the incidence was 3.9% (95% CI 3.6-4.3%). The vast majority of these women was asymptomatic during pregnancy or managed conservatively (97.4%; 95% CI 96-98%). Among 622 pregnant patients with leiomyoma, 13 presented with complications during pregnancy that required surgical intervention (2.1%; 95% CI 0.9-3.2%), due to increase in lesion size causing discomfort and/or severe abdominal pain not responding to conservative management with analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug medication. In 92% of these cases, successful myomectomy was performed and the pregnancy progressed to term without further complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide reassurance for pregnant women with uterine myoma. Surgical management of uterine leiomyoma during pregnancy may be successfully performed in carefully selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Medical School of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Lolis
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Kalantaridou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Makrydimas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sotiriadis
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Navrozoglou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zikopoulos
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Paraskevaidis
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000601:surgery*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*