Joanne Ludlow - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Joanne Ludlow
Human Reproduction, 2014
How does a protocol based on a single serum progesterone measurement perform as a triage tool in ... more How does a protocol based on a single serum progesterone measurement perform as a triage tool in women with pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) in comparison to protocols based on serial hCG measurement? Triage based on the logistic regression model M4 (using initial hCG and hCG ratio (48 h/0 h)) classifies the majority of PUL into low and high risk groups, in contrast to a progesterone protocol based on a serum level threshold of 10 nmol/l. Low progesterone has been shown to identify failing pregnancies and those at low risk of complications. A prediction model (M4) based on the initial hCG and the hCG ratio at 0 and 48 h can successfully classify PUL into low and high risk groups. A multi-centre diagnostic accuracy study of 1271 women was performed retrospectively on data from women at St. George's Hospital (SGH, London, UK) between February 2005 and 2006, Queen Charlottes & Chelsea Hospital (QCCH, London, UK) between April 2009 and August 2012, and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH, Sydney, Australia) between February 2008 and October 2011. The end-points were the final observed outcome for each pregnancy as a failed PUL (low risk), intrauterine pregnancy (IUP, low risk), or ectopic pregnancy (EP, high risk), and any interventions or complications for EP during the follow-up period. Complete data were available for initial progesterone, 0/48 h hCG and final outcome in 431 of 534 women (81%) at SGH, 396/585 (68%) at QCCH and 96/152 (63%) at RPAH. Missing values were handled using multiple imputation. Three diagnostic approaches were used to classify PUL as high risk: a range of serum progesterone levels were evaluated (>10, 16 and 20 nmol/l) for the progesterone protocol, risk of EP given by the M4 model ≥5% for the M4-based protocol, and hCG ratio was between 0.87 and 1.66 for hCG cut-offs as previously published. Results were analysed using random intercept models or stratified analysis to account for variability between centres. The progesterone protocol based on levels of >10 nmol/l classified 24% (95% confidence interval 20-28%) of failed PUL, 95% (92-97%) of IUP and 76% (67-83%) of EP as high risk. The M4 protocol classified 14% (11-17%) of failed PUL, 37% (31-43%) of IUP and 84% (76-90%) of EP as high risk. The hCG ratio cut-offs classified 10% (8-12%) of failed PUL, 15% (11-20%) of IUP and 63% (53-71%) of EP as high risk. Using complete cases only, 67% of EP treated with methotrexate (n = 48) and 89% surgically managed (n = 37) were correctly classified by the progesterone protocol, 96 and 81% by M4 protocol and 75 and 65% by hCG ratio cut offs, respectively. Data were incomplete for 103 (19%), 189 (32%) and 56 (37%) patients at SGH, QCCH and RPAH, respectively; however, we are reassured by the minimal differences seen between the results of complete cases and those following imputation of missing values. The variation in the inclusion criteria between the three centres is also a potential limitation of this study; however, it reflects real clinical practice. Furthermore, the hCG ratio cut-offs were not originally developed to optimize triage. The results show that serum progesterone is less efficient for triage than serial hCG measurements assessed using the M4 model, the striking difference being serum progesterone places nearly all IUP in the high-risk category. A two-step strategy combining single-visit and two-visit approaches should be investigated. Funding was from Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). There are no competing interests.
Human Reproduction, 2013
What is the inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy among gynaecological and non-... more What is the inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy among gynaecological and non-gynaecological ultrasound specialists in the prediction of pouch of Douglas (POD) obliteration (secondary to endometriosis) at offline analysis of two-dimensional videos using the dynamic real-time transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) 'sliding sign' technique? The inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy for the interpretation of the TVS 'sliding sign' in the prediction of POD obliteration was found to be very acceptable, ranging from substantial to almost perfect agreement for the observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound. Women with POD obliteration at laparoscopy are at an increased risk of bowel endometriosis; therefore, the pre-operative diagnosis of POD obliteration is important in the surgical planning for these women. Previous studies have used TVS to predict POD obliteration prior to laparoscopy, with a sensitivity of 72-83% and specificity of 97-100%. However, there have not been any reproducibility studies performed to validate the use of TVS in the prediction of POD obliteration pre-operatively. This was a reproducibility study which involved the offline viewing of pre-recorded video sets of 30 women presenting with chronic pelvic pain, in order to determine POD obliteration using the TVS 'sliding sign' technique. The videos were selected on real-time representative quality/quantity; they were not obtained from sequential patients. There were a total of six observers, including four gynaecological ultrasound specialists and two fetal medicine specialists. The study was conducted over a period of 1 month (March 2012-April 2012). The four gynaecological ultrasound observers performed daily gynaecological scanning, while the other two observers were primarily fetal medicine sonologists. Each sonologist viewed the TVS 'sliding sign' video in two anatomical locations (retro-cervix and posterior uterine fundus), i.e. 60 videos in total. The POD was deemed not obliterated, if 'sliding sign' was positive in both anatomical locations (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid glided smoothly across the retro-cervix/posterior fundus, respectively). If the 'sliding sign' was negative (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid did not glide smoothly over retro-cervix/posterior fundal region, respectively), the POD was deemed obliterated. Diagnostic accuracy and inter-observer agreement among the six sonologists was evaluated. The same sonologist was also asked to reanalyse the same videos, albeit in a different order, at least 7 days later to assess for intra-observer agreement. A separate analysis of the inter- and intra-observer correlation was also performed to determine the agreement among the four observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound. Cohen's κ coefficient <0 meant that there was poor agreement, 0.01-0.20 slight agreement, 0.21-0.40 fair agreement, 0.41-0.60 moderate agreement, 0.61-0.80 substantial agreement and 0.81-0.99 almost perfect agreement. Agreement (Cohen's κ) between all six observers for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' for both sets of videos in both regions (retro-cervix and fundus) ranged from 0.354 to 0.927 (fair agreement to almost perfect agreement) compared with 0.630-0.927 (substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement) when only the gynaecological sonologists were included. The overall multiple rater agreement for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' for both video sets and both regions was Fleiss' κ 0.454 (P-value <0.01) for all six observers and 0.646 (P-value <0.01) for the four gynaecological ultrasound specialists. The multiple rater agreement for all six or all four observers was higher for the retro-cervical region versus the fundal region (Fleiss' κ 0.542 versus 0.370 and 0.732 versus 0.560, respectively). The intra-observer agreement among the six observers for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' and prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's κ 0.60-0.95 and 0.46-1.0 (P-value <0.01), respectively. After excluding the fetal medicine specialists, the intra-observer agreement for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' and the prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's κ 0.71-0.95 and 0.67-1.0, respectively, indicating substantial to almost perfect agreement. When comparing the four gynaecological observers for the prediction of POD obliteration using the TVS 'sliding sign' (after excluding cases with the POD outcome classified as 'unsure' by the observers), the results for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were 93.1-100, 92.9-100, 90.9-100, 77.8-100 and 97.7-100%, respectively. The 'gold standard' for the diagnosis of POD obliteration is laparoscopy; however, laparoscopic data were available only for 24 out of 30 (80%) TVS 'sliding…
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2003
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2006
Background: Postnatal home-visiting programs for illicit drug-using mothers have reported some su... more Background: Postnatal home-visiting programs for illicit drug-using mothers have reported some success in reducing harms in some areas but there is a lack of data on their impact on breastfeeding and immunisation rates.
Objectives: To describe ultrasound findings in patients with acute salpingitis and to determine i... more Objectives: To describe ultrasound findings in patients with acute salpingitis and to determine if it is possible using ultrasound to discriminate between acute salpingitis and other painful conditions mimicking clinical symptoms/ findings of acute salpingitis. Methods: 52 patients underwent a standardized transvaginal ultrasound scan before diagnostic laparoscopy because of clinical suspicion of acute salpingitis. The laparoscopist was blinded to scan results. Final diagnosis was based on laparoscopy, histology of the endometrium or other histology where relevant. Results: 29 patients had a final diagnosis of cervicitis (n = 3), endometritis (n = 9), or salpingitis (n = 17), 23 (44%) had a diagnosis unrelated to genital infection. In 4 cases the salpingitis was mild, in 8 moderate, in 5 severe (pyosalpinx). Bilateral adnexal masses and bilateral masses lying adjacent to the ovary were seen more often at scan in patients with salpingitis than with other diagnoses (14/17 vs. 6/35, P = 0.000; 11/17 vs. 6/35, P = 0.001). In salpingitis, the masses lying adjacent to the ovaries were on average 2-3 cm in diameter, solid (n = 14), unilocular (n = 4) or multilocular (n = 3) cystic, or multilocular solid (n = 1), and well vascularized at color Doppler. Spectral Doppler results overlapped between patients with different diagnoses. The sensitivity with regard to acute salpingitis of subjective assessment of scan findings by the sonologist was 82%, specificity 77%, positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+) 3.6 and 0.23. Those of scan findings of bilateral masses lying adjacent to the ovary were 65%, 83%, LR+ 3.8 and LR− 0.42. The corresponding figures for bilateral adnexal masses were 82%, 83%, 4.8 and 0.22. Conclusions: In patients with clinical suspicion of acute salpingitis, absence of bilateral adnexal masses at scan decreases the odds of acute salpingitis 5-fold.
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2004
To determine the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of women using illicit drugs during pregnancy b... more To determine the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of women using illicit drugs during pregnancy by substance group.
Human Reproduction, 2014
How does a protocol based on a single serum progesterone measurement perform as a triage tool in ... more How does a protocol based on a single serum progesterone measurement perform as a triage tool in women with pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) in comparison to protocols based on serial hCG measurement? Triage based on the logistic regression model M4 (using initial hCG and hCG ratio (48 h/0 h)) classifies the majority of PUL into low and high risk groups, in contrast to a progesterone protocol based on a serum level threshold of 10 nmol/l. Low progesterone has been shown to identify failing pregnancies and those at low risk of complications. A prediction model (M4) based on the initial hCG and the hCG ratio at 0 and 48 h can successfully classify PUL into low and high risk groups. A multi-centre diagnostic accuracy study of 1271 women was performed retrospectively on data from women at St. George's Hospital (SGH, London, UK) between February 2005 and 2006, Queen Charlottes & Chelsea Hospital (QCCH, London, UK) between April 2009 and August 2012, and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH, Sydney, Australia) between February 2008 and October 2011. The end-points were the final observed outcome for each pregnancy as a failed PUL (low risk), intrauterine pregnancy (IUP, low risk), or ectopic pregnancy (EP, high risk), and any interventions or complications for EP during the follow-up period. Complete data were available for initial progesterone, 0/48 h hCG and final outcome in 431 of 534 women (81%) at SGH, 396/585 (68%) at QCCH and 96/152 (63%) at RPAH. Missing values were handled using multiple imputation. Three diagnostic approaches were used to classify PUL as high risk: a range of serum progesterone levels were evaluated (>10, 16 and 20 nmol/l) for the progesterone protocol, risk of EP given by the M4 model ≥5% for the M4-based protocol, and hCG ratio was between 0.87 and 1.66 for hCG cut-offs as previously published. Results were analysed using random intercept models or stratified analysis to account for variability between centres. The progesterone protocol based on levels of >10 nmol/l classified 24% (95% confidence interval 20-28%) of failed PUL, 95% (92-97%) of IUP and 76% (67-83%) of EP as high risk. The M4 protocol classified 14% (11-17%) of failed PUL, 37% (31-43%) of IUP and 84% (76-90%) of EP as high risk. The hCG ratio cut-offs classified 10% (8-12%) of failed PUL, 15% (11-20%) of IUP and 63% (53-71%) of EP as high risk. Using complete cases only, 67% of EP treated with methotrexate (n = 48) and 89% surgically managed (n = 37) were correctly classified by the progesterone protocol, 96 and 81% by M4 protocol and 75 and 65% by hCG ratio cut offs, respectively. Data were incomplete for 103 (19%), 189 (32%) and 56 (37%) patients at SGH, QCCH and RPAH, respectively; however, we are reassured by the minimal differences seen between the results of complete cases and those following imputation of missing values. The variation in the inclusion criteria between the three centres is also a potential limitation of this study; however, it reflects real clinical practice. Furthermore, the hCG ratio cut-offs were not originally developed to optimize triage. The results show that serum progesterone is less efficient for triage than serial hCG measurements assessed using the M4 model, the striking difference being serum progesterone places nearly all IUP in the high-risk category. A two-step strategy combining single-visit and two-visit approaches should be investigated. Funding was from Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). There are no competing interests.
Human Reproduction, 2013
What is the inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy among gynaecological and non-... more What is the inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy among gynaecological and non-gynaecological ultrasound specialists in the prediction of pouch of Douglas (POD) obliteration (secondary to endometriosis) at offline analysis of two-dimensional videos using the dynamic real-time transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) 'sliding sign' technique? The inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy for the interpretation of the TVS 'sliding sign' in the prediction of POD obliteration was found to be very acceptable, ranging from substantial to almost perfect agreement for the observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound. Women with POD obliteration at laparoscopy are at an increased risk of bowel endometriosis; therefore, the pre-operative diagnosis of POD obliteration is important in the surgical planning for these women. Previous studies have used TVS to predict POD obliteration prior to laparoscopy, with a sensitivity of 72-83% and specificity of 97-100%. However, there have not been any reproducibility studies performed to validate the use of TVS in the prediction of POD obliteration pre-operatively. This was a reproducibility study which involved the offline viewing of pre-recorded video sets of 30 women presenting with chronic pelvic pain, in order to determine POD obliteration using the TVS 'sliding sign' technique. The videos were selected on real-time representative quality/quantity; they were not obtained from sequential patients. There were a total of six observers, including four gynaecological ultrasound specialists and two fetal medicine specialists. The study was conducted over a period of 1 month (March 2012-April 2012). The four gynaecological ultrasound observers performed daily gynaecological scanning, while the other two observers were primarily fetal medicine sonologists. Each sonologist viewed the TVS 'sliding sign' video in two anatomical locations (retro-cervix and posterior uterine fundus), i.e. 60 videos in total. The POD was deemed not obliterated, if 'sliding sign' was positive in both anatomical locations (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid glided smoothly across the retro-cervix/posterior fundus, respectively). If the 'sliding sign' was negative (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid did not glide smoothly over retro-cervix/posterior fundal region, respectively), the POD was deemed obliterated. Diagnostic accuracy and inter-observer agreement among the six sonologists was evaluated. The same sonologist was also asked to reanalyse the same videos, albeit in a different order, at least 7 days later to assess for intra-observer agreement. A separate analysis of the inter- and intra-observer correlation was also performed to determine the agreement among the four observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound. Cohen's κ coefficient <0 meant that there was poor agreement, 0.01-0.20 slight agreement, 0.21-0.40 fair agreement, 0.41-0.60 moderate agreement, 0.61-0.80 substantial agreement and 0.81-0.99 almost perfect agreement. Agreement (Cohen's κ) between all six observers for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' for both sets of videos in both regions (retro-cervix and fundus) ranged from 0.354 to 0.927 (fair agreement to almost perfect agreement) compared with 0.630-0.927 (substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement) when only the gynaecological sonologists were included. The overall multiple rater agreement for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' for both video sets and both regions was Fleiss' κ 0.454 (P-value <0.01) for all six observers and 0.646 (P-value <0.01) for the four gynaecological ultrasound specialists. The multiple rater agreement for all six or all four observers was higher for the retro-cervical region versus the fundal region (Fleiss' κ 0.542 versus 0.370 and 0.732 versus 0.560, respectively). The intra-observer agreement among the six observers for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' and prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's κ 0.60-0.95 and 0.46-1.0 (P-value <0.01), respectively. After excluding the fetal medicine specialists, the intra-observer agreement for the interpretation of the 'sliding sign' and the prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's κ 0.71-0.95 and 0.67-1.0, respectively, indicating substantial to almost perfect agreement. When comparing the four gynaecological observers for the prediction of POD obliteration using the TVS 'sliding sign' (after excluding cases with the POD outcome classified as 'unsure' by the observers), the results for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were 93.1-100, 92.9-100, 90.9-100, 77.8-100 and 97.7-100%, respectively. The 'gold standard' for the diagnosis of POD obliteration is laparoscopy; however, laparoscopic data were available only for 24 out of 30 (80%) TVS 'sliding…
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2003
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2006
Background: Postnatal home-visiting programs for illicit drug-using mothers have reported some su... more Background: Postnatal home-visiting programs for illicit drug-using mothers have reported some success in reducing harms in some areas but there is a lack of data on their impact on breastfeeding and immunisation rates.
Objectives: To describe ultrasound findings in patients with acute salpingitis and to determine i... more Objectives: To describe ultrasound findings in patients with acute salpingitis and to determine if it is possible using ultrasound to discriminate between acute salpingitis and other painful conditions mimicking clinical symptoms/ findings of acute salpingitis. Methods: 52 patients underwent a standardized transvaginal ultrasound scan before diagnostic laparoscopy because of clinical suspicion of acute salpingitis. The laparoscopist was blinded to scan results. Final diagnosis was based on laparoscopy, histology of the endometrium or other histology where relevant. Results: 29 patients had a final diagnosis of cervicitis (n = 3), endometritis (n = 9), or salpingitis (n = 17), 23 (44%) had a diagnosis unrelated to genital infection. In 4 cases the salpingitis was mild, in 8 moderate, in 5 severe (pyosalpinx). Bilateral adnexal masses and bilateral masses lying adjacent to the ovary were seen more often at scan in patients with salpingitis than with other diagnoses (14/17 vs. 6/35, P = 0.000; 11/17 vs. 6/35, P = 0.001). In salpingitis, the masses lying adjacent to the ovaries were on average 2-3 cm in diameter, solid (n = 14), unilocular (n = 4) or multilocular (n = 3) cystic, or multilocular solid (n = 1), and well vascularized at color Doppler. Spectral Doppler results overlapped between patients with different diagnoses. The sensitivity with regard to acute salpingitis of subjective assessment of scan findings by the sonologist was 82%, specificity 77%, positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+) 3.6 and 0.23. Those of scan findings of bilateral masses lying adjacent to the ovary were 65%, 83%, LR+ 3.8 and LR− 0.42. The corresponding figures for bilateral adnexal masses were 82%, 83%, 4.8 and 0.22. Conclusions: In patients with clinical suspicion of acute salpingitis, absence of bilateral adnexal masses at scan decreases the odds of acute salpingitis 5-fold.
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2004
To determine the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of women using illicit drugs during pregnancy b... more To determine the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of women using illicit drugs during pregnancy by substance group.