Secondary postpartum hemorrhage following placental site vessel subinvolution: a case report

Fertility preserving management for postpartum haemorrhage secondary to subinvolution of the placental implantation site

A 40-year-old woman presents with recurrent secondary postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) following her third normal vaginal delivery. Histology from subsequent evacuation of the uterus confirmed that she had subinvolution of the placental implantation site. Hysterectomy is the most common method of managing this condition and recurrent PPH, most often due to significant vaginal bleeding. We present a case of subinvolution of the placental implantation site with recurrent PPH managed with medical treatment alone, to offer a fertility-sparing treatment option.

Vessel Subinvolution of the Placental Implantation Site: A Case Report and Review of Supportive Literature

Subinvolution of the implantation site is a significant contributor to delayed postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). There is immense literature documenting the histologic features, development, and involution of the uteroplacental site; however, practice-oriented literature on subinvolution of the implantation site is sparse. In the present study, we briefly review the physiologic characteristics associated with the normal development and involution of uteroplacental arteries and the proposed pathophysiologic attributes of subinvolution. Furthermore, we engage in a comparison of the condition with preeclampsia. Herein, we report a case of postpartum vaginal bleeding that persisted for two weeks following cesarean delivery. The bleeding was nonresponsive to conservative treatment. Sonography performed revealed that a heterogeneous intrauterine vascular mass measuring 14.6 × 9.2 × 10.4 cm was present, distending the uterine cavity. The presence of retained products of conception could not be ruled out. Therefore, to further confirm the condition, the patient underwent an emergency hysterectomy. Gross examination showed an enlarged and boggy uterus with numerous dilated and ecstatic thrombosed blood vessels in the implantation site of the endomyometrium. Histologic and immunohistochemical examination of the implantation site revealed the presence of persistently patent uteroplacental arteries with variable degrees of thrombosis adjacent to normally involuted vessels. Hence, a diagnosis of placental site vessel subinvolution (VSI) was established in this case. We also reviewed the related literature to illustrate the informative histologic findings of subinvolution. Preparing the ground for diagnosing subinvolution is important as this process defines that the cause of delayed postpartum uterine bleeding is idiopathic, rather than iatrogenic.

Recurrent secondary postpartum hemorrhages due to placental site vessel subinvolution and local uterine tissue coagulopathy

Background

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) represents a serious problem for women and obstetricians. Because of its association with hemorrhagic shock and predisposition to disseminated coagulopathy, it is a leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide. Furthermore, the jeopardy of PPH is rising with the secondary form of PPH occurring between 24 hours and 6 weeks postpartum, when women are already discharged home. The causes of this pathology are severe inflammation (endometritis), inherited coagulation disorders, consumptive coagulopathy, and retained products of conceptions. Others are of rare occurrence, such as vessel subinvolution (VSI) of the placental implantation site, uterine artery pseudoaneurysm, or trauma.

Case presentation

We present a rare form of recurrent secondary postpartum hemorrhage in a woman after uncomplicated cesarean delivery, with review of the literature linked to the management of this situation originating in the rare local VSI in the placental implantation site, defective decidual homeostasis, and coagulopathy confined to the uterus.

Conclusion

The placental site VSI is one of the rare causes of secondary PPH, and this situation is frequently underdiagnosed by clinicians. The histological confirmation of dilated “clustered”-shaped myometrial arteries partially occluded by thrombi of variable “age” together with the presence of endovascular extravillous trophoblasts confirms the diagnosis.

Subinvolution of placental bed vessels: case report and review of the literature

Subinvolution of placental bed vessels, a well-recognized cause of postpartum and postabortal hemorrhage, is defined with prolonged or excessive uterine hemorrhage beginning after the delivery or abortion. Although physiological changes in uteroplacental parts of spiral arteries are well known, the sequence of events in involution of these vessels is not yet clearly understood. In this article we present two cases of subinvolution of placental bed vessels in which we were able to demonstrate the presence of extravillous trophoblast in and around the placental bed vessels. The disease is supposed to be the result of abnormal interaction between maternal uterine cells and fetal trophoblast.