A new technique to preserve the uterus in patients with placenta accreta spectrum disorders

Local Resection After Cesarean Delivery for Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To compare maternal and surgical outcomes between local resection and immediate hysterectomy after cesarean delivery in patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

DATA SOURCES

Four public databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were systematically searched for relevant publications up to July 31, 2024. Because the Cochrane Library included all the identified clinical trials, it was unnecessary to search ClinicalTrials.gov . The search strategy included the terms "placenta accreta" or "placenta accreta spectrum" and "pregnancy outcomes" and related key words about local resection and cesarean hysterectomy.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

With the use of established inclusion criteria, 4,889 studies were reviewed. The included studies evaluated surgical and maternal outcomes associated with immediate hysterectomy compared with local resection.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

Data extraction was conducted with the Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Study design framework. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models were used to synthesize the findings. A total of 11 studies published between 2018 and 2024 were analyzed (nine retrospective studies, one randomized controlled trial, and one prospective cohort study). The quality of the included studies was globally low, and 7 of 11 studies had severe bias. The immediate hysterectomy group had a significantly higher prevalence of placenta percreta compared with the local resection group (69.4% vs 44.3%, P <.01). In contrast to immediate hysterectomy, local resection yielded improved surgical outcomes, demonstrated by the following metrics: transfusion rate (six studies, 375 vs 205 patients, odds ratio [OR] 0.47, 95% CI, 0.29-0.75), estimated blood loss (seven studies, 416 vs 246 patients, mean difference -396 mL, 95% CI, -534 to -257), urologic complications (seven studies, 408 vs 241 patients, OR 0.18, 95% CI, 0.10-0.33), and intensive care unit admission (three studies, 87 vs 79 patients, OR 0.19, 95% CI, 0.07-0.53). One study recorded three maternal deaths: two in the immediate hysterectomy group and one in the local resection group. The results of subgroup analyses focused on patients with severe forms of PAS (placenta increta and percreta) were similar in the overall analysis.

CONCLUSION

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, eligible studies comparing the local resection with immediate hysterectomy at cesarean hysterectomy for PAS were overall low quality because of the lack of intention-to-treat information. Despite these limitations, local resection for PAS may possibly be an option for appropriately selected patients to reduce surgical morbidity. Because the indication criteria, safety, surgical techniques, and necessity of adjunctive therapies for local resection remain understudied, further prospective studies are warranted.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42024594315.

The role of MRI in "estimating" intraoperative bleeding during cesarean section for placenta accreta: A prospective cohort study

Objectives

The prenatal detection of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder is crucial for treatment strategy formulation. MRI descriptors may offer a more objective method for predicting PAS and clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate the predictive value of MRI examination for intraoperative blood loss in PAS cesarean section and elucidating the MRI descriptors that are more valuable for predicting intraoperative blood loss.

Methods

A prospective study was carried out on 164 pregnant women diagnosed with PAS. Maternal and neonatal perioperative characteristics were systematically collected. To evaluate the relationship between maternal and perioperative characteristics and intraoperative blood loss, as well as the predictive value of MRI descriptors on intraoperative blood loss, a multivariable linear regression analysis was performed.

Results

Patients were pre-grouped based on a combined ultrasound-MRI evaluation, with 108 cases (65.9 %) classified as placenta accreta, 47 cases (28.7 %) as placenta increta, and 9 cases (5.4 %) as placenta percreta. The results demonstrated that intraoperative blood loss was positively associated with partial MRI descriptors (F = 9.751, df = 15), such as placenta accreta (OR: 243.33, p = 0.006), cross-border blood vessels that pass through the uterine muscle layer (OR: 297.76, p = 0.012), interruption of hyperechoic uterus-bladder interface (bladder line) (OR: 342.59, p = 0.011), and subplacental hypervascularity (OR: 365.96, p = 0.027).

Conclusions

Preoperative MRI demonstrates promising predictive capabilities in estimating intraoperative blood loss for PAS patients. Pregnant women identified as having a high risk of intraoperative bleeding based on MRI findings should undergo closer antenatal monitoring in late pregnancy, along with more comprehensive preoperative blood preparation, to better ensure maternal and fetal safety.

One-step conservative surgery vs hysterectomy for placenta accreta spectrum: a feasibility randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Placenta accreta spectrum is a serious condition associated with significant maternal morbidity and even mortality. The recommended treatment is hysterectomy. An alternative is 1-step conservative surgery, which involves the en bloc resection of the myometrium affected by placenta accreta spectrum along with the placenta, followed by uterine reconstruction. Currently, there are no studies comparing the 2 techniques in the setting of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

We performed a prospectively registered multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing hysterectomy with 1-step conservative surgery. The aim was to collect feasibility and clinical outcomes of the 2 techniques in women assigned to hysterectomy or 1-step conservative surgery. In addition to assessing participants' willingness to be randomized, we also collected data on intraoperative blood loss, transfusion requirement, serious adverse event, and other clinical outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

Sixty women with strong antenatal suspicion of placenta accreta spectrum were assigned randomly to either hysterectomy (n=31) or 1-step conservative surgery (n=29).

RESULTS

During a 20-month period, 60 of the 64 eligible patients (93.7%) underwent randomization. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that the clinical outcomes for 1-step conservative surgery were comparable to those of hysterectomy (median intraoperative blood loss, 1740 mL [interquartile range, 1010-2410] vs 1500 mL [interquartile range, 1122-2753]; odds ratio, 1 [1-1]; P=.942; median duration of surgery, 135 minutes [interquartile range, 111-180] vs 155 minutes [interquartile range, 120-185]; odds ratio, 0.99 [0.98-1]; P=.151; transfusion rate, 58.6% vs 61.3%; odds ratio, 0.96 [0.83-1.76]; P=.768; and adverse event rate, 17.2% vs 9.7%; odds ratio, 1.77 [0.43-10.19]; P=.398; respectively). In the subgroup of women with type 1 class on topographic classification, all participants allocated to 1-step surgery had successful outcomes, which were superior to those of hysterectomy. This was evidenced by the shorter surgery duration (median, 125 [interquartile range, 98-128] vs 180 [129-226] minutes; P=.002), lower transfusion rates (46.2% vs 82.4%), and fewer units of red blood cells transfused (median, 1 [interquartile range, 1-1.8] vs 3 [interquartile range, 2-4] units; P=.007).

CONCLUSION

A randomized controlled trial comparing 2 surgical techniques for the treatment of placenta accreta spectrum is feasible. One-step conservative repair is a valid alternative to hysterectomy in the large majority of cases, but this can only be ascertained following intraoperative surgical staging. El resumen está disponible en Español al final del artículo.