Prenatal Diagnosis and Perinatal Management of Placenta Previa Accreta: Past, Present and Future

• Main Author: Min-Min Chou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2004-06-01
• Series: Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Subjects: color power Doppler ultrasound; gray-scale ultrasound; placenta previa accreta; three-dimensional color power Doppler ultrasound
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455909600589

The reported incidence of placenta accreta varies widely in the English literature, from 1:540 to 1:93,000 deliveries. In Taiwan, the quoted incidence ranges from 1:625 to 1:1,652 deliveries in tertiary medical centers. Massive obstetric hemorrhage is still the leading cause of pregnancy-related death, and placenta previa accreta remains one of the major predisposing factors. With the increasing rates of cesarean delivery and uterine curettage for abortion, both placenta previa and accreta are steadily increasing in frequency. Therefore, more cases of placenta previa accreta can be expected in obstetric practice. In several recent series, placenta accreta has emerged as the major indication for peripartum hysterectomy, accounting for 40% to 60% of cases. It has, therefore, become a challenging problem of increasing clinical significance in obstetrics.