ABSTRACT
Entrapped placenta following vaginal delivery is an uncommon complication. In resistant cases, it needs to be removed by laparotomy, although this is exceptionally rare. Here, we report a 28-year-old woman, 33 weeks pregnant through in vitro fertilization, who delivered a premature male baby weighing 2400 grams with an Apgar score of 7. After delivery, the placenta remained in the unicornuate uterus. Ultrasound ruled out placenta accreta spectrum, and manual removal attempts under anesthesia failed due to lower uterine segment contraction despite using nitroglycerine. Conservative management with misoprostol and broad-spectrum antibiotics was initiated. However, increasing C-reactive protein levels and abdominal pain necessitated a computerized tomography scan, revealing the placenta trapped in the unicornuate uterus. Thirty-six hours after the delivery, the decision was made to remove the placenta laparoscopically instead of laparotomy. A unicornuate uterus containing a placenta on the right and the left rudimentary horn connected to the right uterus with bilateral adnexa, including theca cysts, were revealed during laparoscopic observation. No pelvic organ injury was noted. The placenta was removed via a fundal incision with a monopolar hook and using claw traumatic forceps. The uterus was closed with V-lock sutures; additional Z-sutures were applied. A 270-gram entire placenta was extracted using an endo bag successfully. The patient was discharged several days after the procedure without any complications. Laparoscopic extraction of a third-trimester placenta can successfully be used in resistant cases while avoiding laparotomy, even in the early postpartum period.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Endothelial dysfunction is a major feature of preeclampsia. sVE-cadherin plays a role in the preservation and regulation of the endothelial barrier. For that reason, to evaluation of sVE-cadherin may help elucidate the disease pathophysiology of preeclampsia. METHODS: The sample size was calculated as a minimum of 46 pregnant women for each group based on serum sVE-Cadherin levels in a pilot study of 10 preeclamptic and 10 control groups. Hundred-twenty pregnancies complicated with early-onset (n = 60) and late-onset (n = 60) preeclampsia were compared with 120 gestational-age (GA)-matched (±1 week) uncomplicated pregnancies. The venous blood sampling was performed upon preeclampsia diagnosis prior to the onset of the labor in the preeclampsia group and the matching (±1 week) pregnancy week in the control group. Demographic and biochemical parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean serum sVE-Cadherin was significantly higher in women with EOPE compared to that of the GA-matched control group (5.86 ± 1.57 ng/mL vs. 2.28 ± 0.80 ng/mL, p < 0.001), in women with LOPE compared to that of the GA-matched control group (3.11 ± 0.97 ng/mL vs. 1.69 ± 0.87 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and in women with EOPE compared to that of LOPE group (5.86 ± 1.57 ng/mL vs. 3.11 ± 0.97 ng/mL, p < 0.001) after correction for GA. Serum sVE-Cadherin positively correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a negative correlation with gestational age at sampling. CONCLUSION: The serum level of sVE-Cadherin was higher in women with preeclampsia than that of GA-matched healthy pregnant women, in women with EOPE compared to that of LOPE. sVE-Cadherin is an important marker in early-onset pre-eclampsia with severe clinical findings.