Urinary Tract Injuries During Caesarean Section for Morbidly Adherent Placenta: Prospective and Retrospective Study

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PAS), also called abnormally invasive placenta (AIP), describes a clinical situation where the placenta does not detach spontaneously after delivery and cannot be forcibly removed without causing massive and potentially life-threatening bleeding(1-2) The incidence of PAS is rising worldwide(3) PAS is one of the most dangerous conditions of the pregnancy as it is significantly associated with maternal morbidity and mortality.(4) PAS may occur after any kind of procedure that causes damage to the endometrium, including curettage, manual removal of the placenta, uterine-artery embolization, or myomectomy(5-6) a full thickness surgical scar is associated with both the absence of endometrial re-epithelialization and vascular remodelling around the scar area, and this may lead to abnormally invasive placentation (increta/percreta).(7) Ultrasound is the first-line imaging tool for the screening and diagnosis of PAS. However, it is now well-established that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a role in the diagnosis of PAS, with high sensitivity and specificity(8-9) Urinary bladder injury is one of the operative morbidities of cesarean section. It occurs in 0.08% - 0.94% of cesarean sections(10) Repeated cesarean section and type of morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) are considered the major risk factors for urinary tract injuries during cesarean delivery(11) Urinary bladder injury complicates about 11.7% of cesarean sections in women with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS)(12) The presence of tough adhesions between the bladder and the lower uterine segment carries the risk of urinary bladder injury. Trial of separation of the bladder in such circumstances may result in bladder injury. Filling of the bladder will delineate the contour of the bladder and clarify the proper plane of dissection (13)