Spontaneous Abortion

1 Definition and Clinical Presentation.- Spontaneous Abortion.- Threatened Abortion.- Inevitable Abortion.- Missed Abortion.- Anembryonic Pregnancy.- Spontaneous Abortion of a Live Fetus.- Trophoblastic Tumours.- Septic Abortion.- Recurrent Abortion.- Induced Abortion.- Ectopic Pregnancy.- Summary.- References.- 2 Spontaneous Abortions: Epidemiology.- Problems of Definition and Ascertainment.- Current Estimates of Early Reproductive Loss.- Maternal Health.- Other Environmental Hazards.- Conclusion.- References.- 3 Aetiology of Pregnancy Failure.- Numerical Chromosomal Abnormalities (Aneuploidy and Polyploidy).- Pathological Findings in First Trimester Abortuses.- References.- 4 Pathology of Spontaneous Abortion.- Anatomo-pathological Classification of Material from Abortions.- Histological Classification of Material from Abortions.- Specific Pathological Abnormalities in Abortion.- Conclusions.- References.- 5 Ultrasound Diagnosis of Spontaneous Miscarriage.- Am I Pregnant?.- Is My Pregnancy Normal?.- When Is My Baby Due?.- Will I Miscarry?.- Is My Baby Normal?.- Specific Complications of Early Pregnancy.- Doppler Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Pregnancy Failure.- References.- 6 Assessment of Early Pregnancy: Measurement of Fetoplacental Hormones and Proteins.- Diagnosis of Pregnancy.- Normal Pregnancy.- Control of Synthesis and Secretion.- Early Pregnancy Failure.- Threatened and Spontaneous Miscarriage.- Anembryonic Pregnancy.- Ectopic Pregnancy.- Trophoblastic Disease.- Prenatal Diagnosis: Chorionic Villus Sampling.- Conclusions.- References.- 7 The Aetiology and Management of Recurrent Miscarriage.- Incidence.- The Risk of Recurrence.- Aetiology of Recurrent Miscarriage.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 8 Septic Abortion.- Felicity Ashworth.- Relevance of Septic Abortion to Maternal Mortality Statistics.- Risk Factors.- Clinical Features.- Microbiology.- Management of Septic Abortion.- Management of Septic Shock.- Conclusion.- References.- 9 Miscarriage Following Assisted Conception.- Miscarriage in the Infertile Couple.- The Influence on Miscarriage of the Drugs used in Assisted Conception.- Miscarriage after IVF and Related Procedures.- Summary.- References.- 10 Abortion Following Invasive Diagnostic Procedures in the First Trimester.- Safety.- Accuracy.- Chromosomal Abnormalities.- Cost Considerations.- References.- 11 Diagnosis and Management of Ectopic Pregnancy Isabel Stabile.- Incidence of Ectopic Pregnancy.- Aetiology of Ectopic Pregnancy.- Clinical Features of Ectopic Pregnancy.- Diagnostic Tests.- Biochemical Tests.- Sonographic Tests.- Combination of Ultrasound and Biochemical Tests.- Management of Ectopic Pregnancy.- Conclusion.- References.- 12 Surgical Treatment of Spontaneous Abortion.- Cervical Cerclage in the Management of Cervical Incompetence.- Operative Procedures for Cervical Incompetence.- Choice of Patients.- Value of the Procedure.- Randomised Controlled Trials.- Management of Spontaneous Abortion.- References.- 13 Endocrine Treatment in the Prevention and Management of Spontaneous Abortion.- Prevention.- Empirical Treatment.- Conclusion.- References.- 14 Immunotherapy of Recurrent Spontaneous Miscarriage.- Introduction: Maternal Immunity in Normal Pregnancy.- Rationale for Immunotherapy in Pregnancy Loss.- Definition of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.- Methods of Treatment.- Assessment of Outcome of Treatment: Difficulties of Interpretation.- Potential Hazards of Immunotherapy.- Future Requirements.- Conclusions.- References.