Translating placenta accreta biology into surgical principles of uterine conservation (reply to letter to the editor).

Value of pelvic embolization in the management of severe postpartum hemorrhage due to placenta accreta, increta or percreta

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PASD) is the adherence of the placenta caused by an abnormal trophoblast invasion into the myometrium. It is classified as placenta accreta, placenta increta, and placenta percreta depending on the extent of the invasion. Placenta accreta, defined as the superficial invasion of the placenta to the myometrium, accounts for 75% of PASD. Placenta increta is characterized by chorionic villi invasion deep into the myometrium. Placenta percreta involves placental invasion through the uterus and serosa and into the peritoneal cavity or surrounding viscera. Maternal morbidity and mortality can occur secondary to hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, risks associated with blood transfusion, and pelvic and abdominal viscera injury. The standard of care in a known diagnosis of PASD is a cesarean delivery followed by hysterectomy with the placenta in situ. We report a case in which the diagnosis of focal PASD was not known antenatally but suspected after vaginal delivery. The patient subsequently underwent conservative management with uterine preservation and did not require laparotomy.

Placenta accreta is a condition of abnormal placental attachment that was usually treated by hysterectomy. Techniques to conserve the uterus are now commonly used and series of subsequent pregnancy outcomes have been reported. The recurrence risk of placenta accreta is now a relevant detail and is currently not known. This work was performed to calculate the recurrence risk by reviewing the published literature. A literature search using the terms "placenta accreta", "placenta percreta", "placenta increta", "abnormal placental attachment" and "placental attachment disorder" followed by hand-searching identified 6 papers that contained data concerning recurrence of placenta accreta in subsequent pregnancies following initial conservative treatment. Overall 407 pregnancies were recorded and 85.7% of women reported achieved a subsequent pregnancy following conservative treatment. The risk of recurrence of placental attachment disorder in a subsequent pregnancy was 19.9% (weighted mean, 95% CI 12.2-27.7). The recurrence risk of placental attachment disorder following uterine conservation treatments is 20% . This risk should be discussed with women with an antenatal diagnosis of a placental attachment disorder who may be considering uterine conservation in order to retain the option of a future pregnancy.

This study evaluated the surgical and neonatal outcomes of 71 patients diagnosed with placenta accreta before caesarean section with or without placement of a prophylactic abdominal aorta balloon catheter. This study took place at our hospital from January 2013 to May 2015. Thirty patients had a prophylactic balloon catheter inserted (balloon group), and 41 patients did not receive the intervention (control group). The mean estimated blood loss and decrease in haemoglobin after surgery was significantly lower in the balloon group than in the control group. No significant difference was found in duration of operation, transfusion, or percentage requirement of caesarean hysterectomy. The incidence of catheterisation-related complications was 3.3%. One patient had pain in her right leg, caused by an ultrasound-confirmed haematoma in the front wall of the right common femoral artery. No significant difference was found in the rate of surgery-related complications and neonatal outcomes between the groups. Prophylactic placement of an infrarenal abdominal aorta balloon catheter in patients with placenta accreta can effectively reduce intraoperative haemorrhage, without causing any obvious adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes. Impact statementProphylactic placement of endovascular balloon catheters for controlling intraoperative haemorrhage in women with placenta accreta has been a topic of debate for nearly 2 decades. The most common type of occlusion is internal iliac artery balloon occlusion, only a few studies have focused on intraoperative aortic balloon occlusionThis retrospective case-control study included relatively large number of cases and the result shown this technique can effectively reduce intraoperative haemorrhage in patients with placenta accreta, without causing any obvious adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes.It provides another safe and effective method for intraoperative haemorrhage control and even uterine preservation.

Colon Perforation After Lung Transplantation

69: Prophylactic arterial catheterization may improve operative morbidity in suspected placenta accreta and reduce the need for hysterectomy

Outcomes of subsequent pregnancies after conservative treatment for placenta accreta

Skeletal muscle injuries are a common problem in trauma and orthopaedic surgery. Muscle injuries undergo the healing phases of degeneration, inflammation, regeneration, and fibrosis. Current and experimental therapies to improve muscle regeneration and limit muscle fibrosis include conservative and surgical principles with the adjuvant use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and growth factor manipulation. NSAIDs appear to have a paradoxical effect on the healing of muscle injuries with early signs of improvement and subsequent late impairment in functional capacity and histology. In vitro and in vivo studies have explored the role of the cyclooxygenases and prostaglandins in the biological processes of healing muscle, including precursor cell activation, myoblast proliferation, myoblast fusion, and muscle protein synthesis. Through use of more specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors, we may be able to better understand the role of inflammation in muscle healing.

The aim of this study was to estimate the fertility and pregnancy outcomes after successful conservative treatment for placenta accreta. This retrospective national multicenter study included women with a history of conservative management for placenta accreta in French university hospitals from 1993 through 2007. Success of conservative treatment was defined by uterine preservation. Data were retrieved from medical files and telephone interviews. Follow-up data were available for 96 (73.3%) of the 131 women included in the study. There were eight women who had severe intrauterine synechiae and were amenorrheic. Of the 27 women who wanted more children, 3 women were attempting to become pregnant (mean duration: 11.7 months, range: 7-14 months), and 24 (88.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 70.8-97.6%]) women had had 34 pregnancies (21 third-trimester deliveries, 1 ectopic pregnancy, 2 elective abortions and 10 miscarriages) with a mean time to conception of 17.3 months (range, 2-48 months). All 21 deliveries had resulted in healthy babies born after 34 weeks of gestation. Placenta accreta recurred in 6 of 21 cases [28.6% (95% CI, 11.3-52.2%)] and was associated with placenta previa in 4 cases. Post-partum hemorrhage occurred in four [19.0% (95% CI, 5.4-41.9%)] cases, related to placenta accreta in three and to uterine atony in one. Successful conservative treatment for placenta accreta does not appear to compromise the patients' subsequent fertility or obstetrical outcome. Nevertheless, patients should be advised of the high risk that placenta accreta may recur during future pregnancies.

Objective To estimate the association between conservative treatment for placenta accreta and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Methods In a retrospective study, data were analyzed on women who received conservative treatment for placenta accreta (removal of the placenta with uterine preservation) at a tertiary hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, between 1990 and 2000. Data were collected on subsequent pregnancies and neonatal outcomes until 2010, and compared with those from a matched control group of women who did not have placenta accreta. Results A total of 134 women were included in both groups. Placenta accreta occurred in 62 (22.8%) of 272 subsequent deliveries in the study group for which data were available and 5 (1.9%) of 266 in the control group (relative risk [RR] 12.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.95–29.69; P P P Conclusion Although subsequent pregnancies after conservative treatment for placenta accreta were mostly successful, the risk of recurrent placenta accreta and postpartum hemorrhage is high in future deliveries.

Objective: To evaluate and describe a surgical approach for uterine preservation and management of postpartum hemorrhage in placenta percreta. Methods: We analyzed the data of patients who were diagnosed with placenta percreta prenatally and subsequently underwent cesarean section in which local resection technique was used to manage postpartum hemorrhage and uterine preservation at our tertiary care center between 2013 and 2016. The technique includes local resection of placental invasion site and suturing the new uterine edges. Results: The technique of local resection described above was successful in preserving the uterus and stopping the bleeding in 8 of 12 cases. The diagnosis of placenta percreta in all cases was confirmed intraoperatively and postoperatively by histological examinations. Four cases were resorted to hysterectomy. The mean number of transfused erythrocyte suspension was 4.8 ± 2.6. One complication of bladder injury was encountered in which treated conservatively. Conclusion: Local resection of percreta site is an effective, safe and fertility preserving approach that can be applied to manage the postpartum hemorrhage and preservation of uterus in patients with placenta percreta.

BackgroundPlacenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a major cause of obstetric bleeding in third trimester of pregnancy.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the outcomes of uterine preservation surgery vs. hysterectomy in women with PAS.Materials and Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the records of 68 women with PAS referred to the Imam Khomeini hospital in Ahvaz, Iran, between March 2015 and February 2020 were included. The women were divided into 2 groups according to surgical approach: hysterectomy vs. uterine preservation (including just removing the lower segment, removing the lower segment with uterine artery ligation, or removing the lower segment with hypogastric artery ligation during cesarean section). The need for blood components transfusion (whole blood, packed cells, and fresh frozen plasma), maternal mortality, duration of surgery, and length of hospitalization were compared between groups.ResultsIn total, we investigated 68 women between the ages of 24-45 yr (mean age of 32.88 5.08 yr). All participants were multiparous and underwent cesarean section. Furthermore, 28 women (41.2%) had a history of curettage. In total, 24 women (35.3%) underwent a hysterectomy, and 44 (64.7%) underwent uterine preservative surgeries. There were no significant differences between groups of hysterectomy and uterine preservative surgeries in terms of the need for blood components transfusion, maternal mortality, duration of surgery, and length of hospitalization.Conclusion The results of this study showed no significant difference between groups regarding the studied outcomes. Therefore, conservative surgeries could be used to preserve the uterus instead of hysterectomy in women with PAS.

Conservative Management of Invasive Placenta Using Combined Prophylactic Internal Iliac Artery Balloon Occlusion and Immediate Postoperative Uterine Artery Embolization

To estimate maternal outcome after conservative management of placenta accreta. This retrospective multicenter study sought to include all women treated conservatively for placenta accreta in tertiary university hospital centers in France from 1993 to 2007. Conservative management was defined by the obstetrician's decision to leave the placenta in situ, partially or totally, with no attempt to remove it forcibly. The primary outcome was success of conservative treatment, defined by uterine preservation. The secondary outcome was a composite measure of severe maternal morbidity including sepsis, septic shock, peritonitis, uterine necrosis, fistula, injury to adjacent organs, acute pulmonary edema, acute renal failure, deep vein thrombophlebitis or pulmonary embolism, or death. Of the 40 university hospitals that agreed to participate in this study, 25 institutions had used conservative treatment at least once (range 1-46) and had treated a total of 167 women. Conservative treatment was successful for 131 of the women (78.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 71.4-84.4%); of the remaining 36 women, 18 had primary hysterectomy and 18 had delayed hysterectomy (10.8% each, 95% CI 6.5-16.5%). Severe maternal morbidity occurred in 10 cases (6.0%, 95% CI 2.9-10.7%). One woman died of myelosuppression and nephrotoxicity related to intraumbilical methotrexate administration. Spontaneous placental resorption occurred in 87 of 116 cases (75.0%, 95% CI 66.1-82.6%), with a median delay from delivery of 13.5 weeks (range 4-60 weeks). Conservative treatment for placenta accreta can help women avoid hysterectomy and involves a low rate of severe maternal morbidity in centers with adequate equipment and resources.

Placenta accreta is a complication that is rising in incidence. The reported experience of methotrexate treatment in the conservative management of placenta accreta is scant. Three cases of placenta accreta managed with methotrexate are presented. Case 1: A woman had an antenatal diagnosis of placenta percreta. A successful manual placental removal occurred on post-cesarean day 16. Case 2: A woman had retention of a placenta accreta after a term vaginal delivery. Successful dilation and curettage were performed on postpartum day 37. Case 3: A woman had an antenatal diagnosis of placenta previa-percreta with bladder invasion. A simple hysterectomy was performed on post-cesarean day 46. Conservative management and methotrexate treatment resulted in uterine preservation in two of our three patients; however, this treatment did not prevent significant delayed hemorrhage. In view of the rapid resolution of vascular invasion of the bladder, methotrexate may have an important role in the management of placenta percreta with bladder invasion. The utility of methotrexate treatment with the conservative management of placenta accreta requires further evaluation.