James O. Drife – författare

Urinary incontinence is a humiliating disability and a common problem in gynaecological clinics. In some centres specialised facilities are avail­ able for its investigation and treatment but in most hospitals the general gynaecologist has to manage this difficult condition. For both generalist and subspecialist it is timely to summarise advances in our knowledge of normal and abnormal micturition. Since 1973 the Royal College of Obstetrician's and Gynaecologists, through its Scientific Advisory Committee, has convened Study Groups on important growth areas in our specialty. The College invites an international panel of leading researchers to participate in a workshop, allowing time for in-depth discussion as well as the presentation of papers. It is hoped that this will produce not only an up-to-date sum­ mary of current knowledge but also a useful interaction between indi­ viduals and between specialties. This book is the result of the 21st Study Group, which was held in October 1989. The participants included urological and colorectal surgeons and a neurologist, as well as scientists and gynaecologists. The meeting began with sessions on basic science and advances in the investigation of the lower urinary tract, then covered voiding diffi­ culties, genuine stress incontinence and detrusor instability, before a final session on the relationship between urinary incontinence and ali­ mentary tract problems. The discussions formed an essential part of the meeting, and it is hoped that the lightly edited versions reproduced here will convey to the reader the stimulating atmosphere of the Study Group.

HRT and Osteoporosis is a response to the increasing awareness among both the medical profession and the general public that ovarian failure is an important cause of osteoporosis and that much of the bone loss after the menopause can be prevented by oestrogen treatment. There is now an urgent need on the part of women, their doctors and those responsible for public health policy for practical guidance on such questions as the safety and acceptability of long-term treatment with sex hormones, the economic costs and benefits of such treatment, and the role of specialists and GPs in promoting and monitoring hormone replacement therapy. All these issues and more are considered here. The book comprehensively reviews current knowledge of the subject and gives recommendations for clinical practice and future research.

In few areas of medicine is progress more spectacular than in the field of prenatal diagnosis. New clinical techniques such as chorion villus sampling, detailed ultrasound scanning and cordocentesis are being evaluated by obstetricians, and refinement of biochemical testing is widening the scope of maternal serum screening. In the laboratory, dramatic advances in molecular biology are occurring: families at risk of genetic disease can be investigated with gene probes, and preimplantation diagnosis of the embryo is now becom­ ing a reality. These technical advances have important ethical and practical implications, among which will be a further increase in public expectations of the standards required of antenatal services. Clini­ cians will need a high degree of skill to inform healthy women about the options for screening normal pregnancies, and to counsel high-risk women about the benefits and limitations of prenatal diagnosis. Obstetricians, scientists and health service managers will face the difficult task of deciding how prenatal diagnosis can be made available to women in a caring and cost-effective way. Recognising the rapid progress in this field, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists made prenatal diagnosis the subject of its 23rd Study Group. An international panel of leading researchers, whose expertise ranged from molecular biology to philosophy, was invited to participate in a three day workshop, with time for in-depth discussion as well as the presentation of papers.

The introduction of prostaglandins into clinical practice has been one of the most important advances in obstetrics and gynaecology in recent years. During the last decade obstetricians have become familiar with these drugs for inducing labour and for terminating second-trimester pregnancy. Within the last year their use has been extended, in association with antiprogestin, to first-trimester termi­ nation. Although the effectiveness of prostaglandins in these pharma­ cological roles is clear, their full potential has still to be explored, and much remains to be learned about their physiology. Prostaglandins playa central role in the initiation of labour. Further clarification of this role could lead to improvements in preventing or treating preterm labour, which still remains the most important cause of perinatal mortality in this country. Prostaglandins are also inti­ mately involved in the mechanism of menstruation. More detailed understanding of this role should lead to more effective treatments for menorrhagia and dysmenorrhoea. These substances also playa part in the mechanism of implantation, and further research in this area may lead to more effective therapy for infertility.