Incidence, risk factors, and maternal outcomes of major degree placenta previa A 10-year retrospective analysis

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the incidence, risk factors, and maternal outcomes of “major degree” placenta previa)PP(/placenta accreta spectrum)PAS(in Abha Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Secondly, to compare our findings to those of previous studies on PP/PAS in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a retrospective study that included 299 patients diagnosed with major degree PP/PAS and admitted to Abha Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia, within 10 years)January 2012-December 2021(. Also, we compared our results to the outcomes of PP/PAS patients in 6 previous Saudi studies. Results: The total number of deliveries was 54,341; PP minor and major degrees were diagnosed in 376)0.69%(patients. Of them, 299 patients had PP major degree)79.5%(. The pattern of main risk factors for major PP/PAS included: elder age, high parity, and previous cesarean deliveries. Nearly 30.5% had evidence of PAS on antenatal MRI)n=91(. Approximately 68.5%)n=205(of patients were delivered <37 weeks. Of 299 patients, 29)9.7%(patients had emergency cesarean hysterectomy. The maternal mortality rate was 0.3%)n=1(. Generally, in many aspects, our results are comparable to similar Saudi studies on PP/PAS. Conclusion: Major degree of PP/PAS is associated with high maternal morbidity but rare mortality. Over 30 years, our patients’ obstetric characteristics did not change, including both elder age and high parity. A substantial increase in the rate of cesarean deliveries is a leading cause of major PP/PAS.