Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics associated with ectopic pregnancy (EP) that could be utilized for predicting morbidity or mortality. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of pregnancy-related records from a tertiary center over a period of ten years. Data on age, gravidity, parity, EP risk, amenorrhea duration, abdominal pain presence and location, β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) level, ultrasound findings, therapeutic intervention, exact EP implantation site and length of hospital stay (LOS) were obtained from the database. The LOS was used as a proxy for morbidity and was tested for an association with all variables. All statistical analyses were conducted with Stata® (ver. 16.1, Texas, USA). Results: The incidence of EP in a cohort of 30,247 pregnancies over a ten-year period was 1.05%. Patients presented with lower abdominal pain in 87.9% of cases, and the likelihood of experiencing pain was tenfold higher if fluid was detectable in the pouch of Douglas. Only 5.1% of patients had a detectable embryonic heartbeat, and 18.15% had one or more risk factors for EP. While most EPs were tubal, 2% were ovarian. The LOS was 1.9 days, and laparoscopic intervention was the main management procedure. The cohort included one genetically proven dizygotic heterotopic pregnancy (incidence, 3.3 × 10^− 5) that was diagnosed in the 7th gestational week. The only association found was between the β-HCG level and LOS, with a linear regression β coefficient of 0.01 and a P-value of 0.04. Conclusion: EP is a relatively common condition affecting approximately 1% of all pregnancies. β-HCG correlates with EP-related morbidity, but the overall morbidity rate of EP is low regardless of the implantation site. Laparoscopic surgery is an effective therapeutic procedure that is safe for managing EP, even in cases of heterotopic pregnancy.

Introduction: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) can lead to major peripartum morbidity. Appropriate management approaches depend on the clinical severity, each individual's preference, and the treating team's expertise. Peripartum hysterectomy is the most frequently used treatment option. However, it can impact psychological well‐being and fertility. We investigated whether conservative treatment with focal resection or leaving the placenta in situ is associated with comparable or lower maternal morbidity than hysterectomy in centers of excellence within the International Society for placenta accreta spectrum (IS‐PAS). Furthermore, a survey was conducted to explore potential barriers to conservative management in antenatal counseling and intraoperative decision‐making.Material and Methods: Confirmed PAS cases in the prospective IS‐PAS database from 22 registered centers between January 2020 and June 2022 were included in the analysis. A separate online survey with 21 questions was answered by the IS‐PAS center experts about indications, diagnostic criteria, patient counseling, surgical practice, changes from the preoperative treatment plan, and why conservative management may not be offered.Results: A total of 234 cases were included in the analysis: 186 women received hysterectomy and 38 women were treated by focal resection, and 10 by leaving the placenta in situ. Blood loss was lower in the focal resection group and in the placenta in situ group compared to the hysterectomy group (p = 0.04). 46.4% of the women initially planned for focal resection, and 35.7% of those initially planned for leaving the placenta in situ were ultimately treated by hysterectomy. Our survey showed that the IS‐PAS centers preferred hysterectomy according to a woman's wishes (64%) and when they expected less blood loss and morbidity (41%). Eighteen percent of centers did not offer focal resection at all due to a lack of experience with this technique. Reasons for not offering to leave the placenta in situ were avoidance of unexpected reoperation (36%), puerperal infection (32%), or skepticism about the method (23%).Conclusions: Uterus‐preserving treatment strategies such as focal resection appear to be safe alternatives to peripartum hysterectomy. However, less than half of the IS‐PAS centers perform them. Acceptance of conservative treatments could be increased by standardized criteria for their implementation and by systematic training for PAS experts.

Introduction: In cases of placenta accreta spectrum, a precise antenatal diagnosis of the suspected degree of invasion is essential for the planning of individual management strategies at delivery. The aim of this work was to evaluate the respective performances of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging for the antenatal assessment of the severity of placenta accreta spectrum disorders included in the database. The secondary objective was to identify descriptors related to the severity of placenta accreta spectrum disorders.Material and methods: All the cases included in the database for which antenatal imaging data were available were analyzed. The rates of occurrence of each ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging descriptor were reported and compared between the Group “Accreta‐Increta” (FIGO grades 1 & 2) and the Group “Percreta” (FIGO grade 3).Results: Antenatal imaging data were available for 347 women (347/442, 78.5%), of which 105 were included in the Group “Accreta – Increta” (105/347, 30.2%) and 213 (213/347, 61.4%) in the Group “Percreta”. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in addition to ultrasound in 135 women (135/347, 38.9%). After adjustment for all ultrasound descriptors in multivariate analysis, only the presence of a bladder wall interruption was associated with a significant higher risk of percreta (Odds ratio 3.23, Confidence interval 1.33–7.79). No magnetic resonance imaging sign was significantly correlated with the degree of severity.Conclusions: The performance of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to discriminate mild from severe placenta accreta spectrum disorders is very poor. To date, the benefit of additional magnetic resonance imaging has not been demonstrated.

Purpose: We aim to describe the sonographic uterine anatomy after a cesarean section (CS), test the reproducibility of predefined measurements from the BSUM study, and report the distribution of these measurements. Methods: This is a descriptive observational study where 200 women with a history of only one CS were recruited 12–24 months postoperatively. A 5–13 MHz micro-convex transvaginal transducer was used for the acquisition of volumetric datasets for evaluating the CS scars. We defined 15 distinct measurements including the residual myometrial thickness (RMT). RMT ratio was calculated as a percentage of RMT to the assumed pre-cesarean anterior uterine wall thickness. A P value below 0.05 is utilized for significant statistical analysis. Results: Patients were included on average 18.5 months post-cesarean. The uterus was anteflexed in 82.5% and retroflexed in 17.5%. Myometrial defects at the site of CS manifest in two forms, either as a niche or as fibrosis. Patients are classified into four groups: those with isolated niches (45%), combined niches and fibrosis (38.5%), isolated fibrosis (11%), and lacking both (5%). The median RMT ratio for these groups was 63.09, 40.93, 59.84, and 100% with a standard deviation of 16.73, 12.95, 16.59, and 0, respectively. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) remained above 0.9 for all distinct measurements among these groups except for those of RMT, where ICC varied between 0.47 and 0.96. The RMT ratio shows a constant ICC at 0.94 regardless of the group. Conclusion: The post-cesarean uterus is often anteflexed, and a myometrial loss of about 50% is normally expected. The pattern of this loss is in the form of a predominantly sharp-edged and echogenic niche, fibrosis, or a combination of both. The proposed RMT ratio takes these changes into consideration and results in a reproducible quantification. We hypothesize that different adverse outcomes could be attributed to the different scar patterns.

Aim: The aim of this study is to utilize the niche measurement guidelines outlined by Jordans et al. in order to establish normal values and accurate description of caesarean section scars in a normal population. After defining the normal distribution, abnormal pregestational scar characteristics will be identified for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes.Methods: This is a prospective observational multicenter clinical study where women with a history of only one caesarean section and yet open family planning are enrolled. The uterine length, cervical length, niche length, niche depth, niche width, residual myometrial thickness, endometrial thickness, scar to internal os distance, anterior myometrial thickness superior and inferior to the scar and the posterior myometrial thickness opposite the scar, superior and inferior to it are measured in a pregestational uterus. The lower uterine segment is measured over a length of 3 cm during subsequent pregnancy and followed up until delivery.Results: Data from 500 patients will yield normal distribution curves for all predefined measurements. Establishing a correlation between deviations from the normal measures and adverse events would be instrumental for counseling women regarding subsequent pregnancy and mode of delivery.Conclusion: This study will demonstrate the changes of the post‐caesarean scar from a non‐pregnant uterus until delivery and can confirm the importance of the scar characteristics in predicting pregnancy outcome.