Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage

Background. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective procedural intervention for controlling PPH. Uterine necrosis (UN) is a rare complication of UAE and its management usually results in hysterect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Myriam Chlela, Josette Dawkins, Gregory Lewis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/8276110
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832546544081960960
author Myriam Chlela
Josette Dawkins
Gregory Lewis
author_facet Myriam Chlela
Josette Dawkins
Gregory Lewis
author_sort Myriam Chlela
collection DOAJ
description Background. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective procedural intervention for controlling PPH. Uterine necrosis (UN) is a rare complication of UAE and its management usually results in hysterectomy. We highlight a case of UAE complicated by UN managed conservatively without hysterectomy. Case. This is the case of a 30-year-old patient who had a cesarean section delivery and subsequently developed PPH due to uterine atony. The estimated blood loss (EBL) was 2500 ml; despite the use of uterotonic medications and trial of intrauterine balloon tamponade. She successfully underwent a UAE with no immediate complications. The remainder of her postnatal course was uncomplicated, and she was discharged on postoperative day 4. On postoperative day 28, the patient presented with fever, vaginal discharge, and abdominal pain. An abdomino-pelvic computed tomography scan revealed areas of necrosis within the uterus secondary to recent UAE. After minimal clinical improvement, the patient underwent a dilation and curettage with ultrasound guidance. The patient improved clinically and was discharged home to complete a 14-day course of antibiotics. Conclusion. UAE is an important minimally invasive approach to the management of PPH. UN following UAE can present a clinical challenge to physicians, with the underlying pathophysiology being use of small embolizing particles during UAE and lack of arterial collaterals to embolized areas. A total of 19 cases of UN post-UAE have been described of which most of these cases were managed with a hysterectomy. In this case, an alternative treatment plan was successfully implemented via dilation and curettage under ultrasound guidance for removal of organized necrotic tissue. This was sufficient to improve the patient’s symptoms and clinical outcome and saved the patient from the morbidity and mortality risks associated with a hysterectomy.
format Article
id doaj-art-8ad846da60244de8badcfbfd8203b705
institution Kabale University
issn 2090-6692
language English
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
spelling doaj-art-8ad846da60244de8badcfbfd8203b7052025-02-03T06:48:31ZengWileyCase Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology2090-66922023-01-01202310.1155/2023/8276110Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum HemorrhageMyriam Chlela0Josette Dawkins1Gregory Lewis2Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyDepartment of Obstetrics and GynecologyDepartment of Obstetrics and GynecologyBackground. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective procedural intervention for controlling PPH. Uterine necrosis (UN) is a rare complication of UAE and its management usually results in hysterectomy. We highlight a case of UAE complicated by UN managed conservatively without hysterectomy. Case. This is the case of a 30-year-old patient who had a cesarean section delivery and subsequently developed PPH due to uterine atony. The estimated blood loss (EBL) was 2500 ml; despite the use of uterotonic medications and trial of intrauterine balloon tamponade. She successfully underwent a UAE with no immediate complications. The remainder of her postnatal course was uncomplicated, and she was discharged on postoperative day 4. On postoperative day 28, the patient presented with fever, vaginal discharge, and abdominal pain. An abdomino-pelvic computed tomography scan revealed areas of necrosis within the uterus secondary to recent UAE. After minimal clinical improvement, the patient underwent a dilation and curettage with ultrasound guidance. The patient improved clinically and was discharged home to complete a 14-day course of antibiotics. Conclusion. UAE is an important minimally invasive approach to the management of PPH. UN following UAE can present a clinical challenge to physicians, with the underlying pathophysiology being use of small embolizing particles during UAE and lack of arterial collaterals to embolized areas. A total of 19 cases of UN post-UAE have been described of which most of these cases were managed with a hysterectomy. In this case, an alternative treatment plan was successfully implemented via dilation and curettage under ultrasound guidance for removal of organized necrotic tissue. This was sufficient to improve the patient’s symptoms and clinical outcome and saved the patient from the morbidity and mortality risks associated with a hysterectomy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/8276110
spellingShingle Myriam Chlela
Josette Dawkins
Gregory Lewis
Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology
title Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
title_full Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
title_fullStr Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
title_full_unstemmed Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
title_short Hysterectomy Sparing Management of Uterine Necrosis following Uterine Artery Embolization for Postpartum Hemorrhage
title_sort hysterectomy sparing management of uterine necrosis following uterine artery embolization for postpartum hemorrhage
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/8276110
work_keys_str_mv AT myriamchlela hysterectomysparingmanagementofuterinenecrosisfollowinguterinearteryembolizationforpostpartumhemorrhage
AT josettedawkins hysterectomysparingmanagementofuterinenecrosisfollowinguterinearteryembolizationforpostpartumhemorrhage
AT gregorylewis hysterectomysparingmanagementofuterinenecrosisfollowinguterinearteryembolizationforpostpartumhemorrhage