[Hydatidiform mole and its complicated development]

The authors report a series of 260 cases of trophoblastic disease, followed up over a period of 18 years. Supervision was based on clinical findings, biological development, radiology and ultrasound. The outcome was favourable in 80% of cases with 2.7% requiring prophylactic hysterectomy for classifical hydatiform mole. In the other cases (20%) the following was the way the disease developed: 12 cases of persistent trophoblastic activity, 13 cases of invasive mole, 24 cases of choriocarcinoma. Initially the treatment was with chemotherapy and surgery was used as an extra treatment in 14% of cases, which gave encouraging results. The authors regret three deaths in this series following choriocarcinoma. Two of these were after chemotherapy as a sole treatment and one after treatment with chemotherapy and surgery.