Postabortal Bleeding: A Diagnostic Dilemma Resolved As Arteriovenous Malformation and Successfully Managed With Uterine Artery Embolization

Uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are rare and may be missed in routine clinical practice, often concealing their existence until dire consequences emerge. This potentially lethal condition can manifest abruptly, with torrential postabortal bleeding, as a grim reminder of its risky nature. Here, we present a rare case of para 1, living 1, abortion 2, initially subjected to dilatation and evacuation due to a missed abortion at a peripheral healthcare facility, subsequently developing torrential bleeding despite all the conservative measures. So she was referred to our hospital in view of heavy vaginal bleeding following the earlier instrumentation; the differential diagnosis of molar pregnancy and AVM was made clinically. As per speculum examination, the presence of remnants of abortion was seen, and the possibility of an invasive mole was suspected. Ultrasonography with color Doppler showed uterine AVM, which was further confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In order to save her life while preserving the uterus, a multidisciplinary approach was involved in managing this patient, consisting of interventional radiologists to perform uterine artery embolization (UAE).

Uterine venous malformations in the puerperium: 2 Atypical cases and literature review

Uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is a rare but high-risk cause of uterine bleeding. The clinical management of this condition is challenging, as the ultrasound picture can sometimes be unambiguously interpreted. Moreover, in the puerperium in which acquired AVMs are most frequently formed, it is necessary to discuss the correct management in a multidisciplinary and personalized manner. We present two cases of AVMs developing in the puerperium, both with a vaginal delivery and spontaneous and complete secondment. The symptom of onset was an episode of bright red blood loss in the puerperium, on the 14th and 21st postpartum days, respectively. Transvaginal ultrasound showed a hypervascularized lesion in the myometrium with turbulent vascular flow, confirmed by transabdominal ultrasound and angiography. To date, there are no guidelines on the management of MAVs. In our cases we opted for a conservative approach, in order to preserve the fertility of the patient. These experiences reported have the purpose of enriching a literature still sparse on the subject and in the future to be able to represent a fulcrum for official recommendations.

Repeat Uterine Artery Embolization for Obstetric Hemorrhages: A Rare Event in a Single Patient

This is a case report of a single patient who had two episodes of obstetric hemorrhages, first in the puerperium and second one post medical termination of pregnancy for which the patient had to be managed by uterine artery embolization (UAE). This is a rare case in which this interventional radiological procedure proved life-saving twice in her obstetric history.

A 29-year-old woman with an obstetric history of para two and living two (P2L2), presented with a complaint of per-vaginum (p/v) spotting with a history of recent intake of pills for medical termination of pregnancy (MTP). Retained products of conception (RPOC) were ruled out radiologically and she was managed conservatively. She subsequently presented with acute uterine bleed with severe anemia and lethargy. After initial resuscitation and failing of conservative therapy, she was promptly taken up for bilateral UAE. She had also undergone UAE 5 years ago during her puerperal period.

Uterine artery embolization is a safe and effective life-saving procedure to control torrential uterine bleed and should be considered when the conservative approach has failed.

Fertility Outcomes After Uterine Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Uterine Arteriovenous Malformations: A Single-Center Retrospective Study in 33 Women

PURPOSE

To describe the clinical and fertility outcomes after uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single-center retrospective study included 33 patients with uterine AVMs who underwent UAE at our institution between May 2013 and May 2021. The inclusion criteria were diagnostic features of uterine AVM as detection of the nidus and early venous drainage on angiography. The exclusion criteria were high levels of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin indicative of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with a diameter of 500-700 µm (with or without Gelfoam/Glue) was used in 32 procedures and, Glue (with lipiodol) was used in one. The patients were followed up for 31 months (range, 6-90 months). Angiograms, medical records, and phone interviews were used to describe the technical and clinical success, complications, and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients with a mean age of 31.2 ± 5.4 years (range, 21-42 years) were included in this case series. Technical success was reported in all patients (100%). Bleeding control was also achieved in 32 (96%) patients. Pelvic and puncture site pain and groin hematoma were reported as minor complications (grade 1 according to CIRSE classification). Six pregnancies (33%) occurred after uterine artery embolization. Four women had full-term pregnancies without complications and delivered healthy newborns. Another two women were in the second trimester of pregnancy with a favorable fetal condition. No post-embolization miscarriage was reported.

CONCLUSION

The UAE is safe and effective in controlling vaginal bleeding caused by uterine AVMs, allowing successful future pregnancies.

Retained Placenta Percreta with Acquired Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation—Case Report and Short Review of the Literature

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PAS) has an increased frequency due to the high number of cesarean sections. The abnormal placentation associated with a retained placenta can cause persistent uterine bleeding, with ultrasound Doppler examination being the main choice to assess the uterine hemorrhage. An acquired uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) may occur because of uterine trauma, spontaneous abortion, dilation and curettage, endometrial carcinoma or gestational trophoblastic disease. The treatment for abnormal placentation associated with AVM can be conservative, represented by methotrexate therapy, arterial embolization, uterine curettage, hysteroscopic loop resection or radical, which takes into consideration total hysterectomy. Therapeutic management always considers the degree of placental invasion, the patient hemodynamic state and fertility preservation. Considering the aspects described, we present a case of retained placenta percreta associated with acquired uterine AVM, with imagistic and clinical features suggestive of a gestational trophoblastic disease, successfully treated by hysterectomy, along with a small review of the literature, as only a few publications have reported a similar association of diagnostics and therapy.

Uterine arteriovenous malformation mimicking retained products Of conception - treated with embolization

Uterine arteriovenous malformations are uncommon but pose the risk of potentially life-threatening hemorrhage. A 29-year-old pregnant female presented with vaginal spotting, after which ultrasound diagnosis of missed miscarriage was made and medical management undertaken. Vaginal spotting continued post-treatment which led to repeat pelvic ultrasound and subsequent magnetic resonance imaging which confirmed a uterine arteriovenous malformation masquerading as retained products of conception. Uterine instrumentation with dilatation and curettage could have been potentially devastating. The patient was successfully treated with uterine artery embolization.

Myometrial Defect in a Subsequent Pregnancy After Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage, in the Absence of Leiomyomas or Previous Uterine Surgery

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy occurring after uterine artery embolization are often complicated by adverse fetal and obstetric outcomes.

CASE

This report describes the case of a myometrial defect in a subsequent pregnancy after uterine artery embolization for postpartum hemorrhage. A 26-year-old G2, P2 woman had a vaginal delivery of twins 2 years earlier that required uterine artery embolization for postpartum hemorrhage. In this case, she presented at 18³ weeks gestation with pelvic pain and an ultrasound scan revealing an area of myometrium measuring 3.2 mm. The myometrium progressively thinned to 0.7 mm at 32 weeks. After cesarean hysterectomy, pathologic examination revealed large myometrial defects separate from the placenta increta.

CONCLUSION

Given the myometrial defects and placenta increta observed in a pregnancy after uterine artery embolization without documented fibroids or uterine surgery, consideration should be given to antenatal myometrial thickness surveillance.

Successful pregnancy after uterine artery embolization for uterine arterovenous malformation: a rare case report

Objective

This paper reports on a rare case of pregnancy after uterine artery embolization (UAE) for uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Debate exists about persistence of fertility in women after UAE. Adverse effects of this technique can modify both uterine echostructure, inducing necrosis and infarction, endometrial atrophy and uterine artery rupture, and ovarian reserve, causing persistent amenorrhea. Ovarian reserve appears to be affected by UAE in pre-menopausal women. However, younger ovaries (according to biological ovarian age) exhibit a greater capacity for recovery after ovarian damage. Therefore, larger studies are needed for more conclusive results.

Case report

A 28-year-old woman was admitted to our department due to life-threatening uterine bleeding, resulting in tachycardia, pallor, and sweating. The patient came with a history of two spontaneous miscarriages. After sonography and computed tomography, AVMs were identified at uterine fundus and anterior wall.

Conclusion

The pathogenesis of infertility after UAE is not yet known. The peculiarity of this case was that, only few months later, the patient became pregnant and gave birth to a live fetus at 37 weeks with cesarean delivery.

Extensive uterine arteriovenous malformation with hemodynamic instability: Embolization for whole myometrium affection

Uterine arteriovenous malformation is abnormal and nonfunctional connections between the uterine arteries and veins. Patients typically present with vaginal bleeding which may be life-threatening. Treatment depends on the symptoms, age, desire for future fertility, localization and size of the lesion. Embolization of the uterine artery is the first choice in symptomatic AVM in patients in the reproductive age. We report a case of acquired AVM with an extensive lesion on ultrasound and MRI, which was successfully treated with uterine artery embolization for severe bleeding (UAE).

Hysteroscopic Management of Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation

Background and Objectives:

Uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is characterized by shunts between the myometrial arteries and veins. Treatment is based on the severity of uterine bleeding and ranges from conservative medical approaches to embolization of affected arteries. The aim of study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of hysteroscopy for management of uterine AVM.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of a cohort of 11 cases occurring between March 2012 and December 2015 in our Regional Center of Excellence in Hysteroscopy, University of Florence. The diagnosis of AVM was made by transvaginal ultrasonography with high-definition flow in patients with mild to moderate symptoms. In all cases, we used the hysteroscopic platform Gynecare VersaPoint II (Ethicon, Somerville, New Jersey, USA), equipped with a 4-mm electrosurgical loop and associated with the SPIES (Storz Professional Image Enhancement System) system (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany).

Results:

All patients were successfully treated with operative hysteroscopy with no reported complications. No patient had residual disease detected by ultrasonography performed after a month. At this writing, of the 11 patients treated with operative hysteroscopy, 4 had achieved a pregnancy that carried to term, 1 was pregnant at 20 wk, and 1 had a miscarriage in the first trimester.

Conclusions:

Hysteroscopy is a feasible and safe alternative treatment modality for AVM. Patients treated with surgical hysteroscopy have high fertility outcomes, a 100% success rate after the first treatment, no complications related to the surgical procedure, and a short hospital stay.

Extravasating uterine pseudoaneurysm: A rare cause of postpartum haemorrhage

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide and can be classified as either immediate (primary) or delayed (secondary) according to the onset time - before or after 24 hours postpartum. Uterine pseudoaneurysm is a rare cause of PPH that has been suggested to arise from abnormal vascular regression and a recurrent vascular healing state, such as a vascular stricture and relaxation with thrombin deposits after placental expulsion. With advances in multidetector computed tomography, 3D-computed tomography with angiography can aid in identifying the location and originating vessels of the pseudoaneurysm via fast and clear 3D images. Once a bleeding pseudoaneurysm is diagnosed as the cause of PPH, conservative management is frequently unsuccessful in controlling bleeding. Transcatheter uterine arterial embolisation appears to be the treatment of choice in haemodynamically stable women.

Successful Treatment of Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation due to Uterine Trauma

Uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is defined as abnormal and nonfunctional connections between the uterine arteries and veins. Although the patients typically present with vaginal bleeding, some patients may experience life-threatening massive bleeding in some circumstances. The treatment of choice depends on the symptoms, age, desire for future fertility, and localization and size of the lesion; however, embolization of the uterine artery is the first choice in symptomatic AVM in patients at reproductive age with expectations of future fertility. We report a case of acquired AVM (after D/C) with an extensive lesion, which was successfully treated with bilateral uterine artery embolization (UAE).

A Systematic Review of Acquired Uterine Arteriovenous Malformations: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Transcatheter Treatment

Objective An acquired uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare cause of vaginal bleeding and, although hysterectomy is the definitive therapy, transcatheter embolization (TCE) provides an alternative treatment option. This systematic review presents the indications, technique, and outcomes for transcatheter treatment of the acquired uterine AVMs. Study Design Literature databases were searched from 2003 to 2013 for eligible clinical studies, including the patient characteristics, procedural indication, results, complications, as well as descriptions on laterality and embolic agents utilized. Results A total of 40 studies were included comprising of 54 patients (average age of 33.4 years). TCE had a primary success rate with symptomatic control of 61% (31 patients) and secondary success rate of 91% after repeated embolization. When combined with medical therapy, symptom resolution was noted in 48 (85%) patients without more invasive surgical procedures. Conclusion Low-level evidence supports the role of TCE, including in the event of persistent bleeding following initial embolization, for the treatment of acquired uterine AVMs. The variety of embolic agents and laterality of approach delineate the importance of refining procedural protocols in the treatment of the acquired uterine AVM. Condensation A review on the management of patients with acquired uterine AVMs.