Clinical outcome and analysis of procedural failure during uterine artery chemoembolisation as a treatment of caesarean scar pregnancy

Advances in Treating Cesarean Scar Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Review of Techniques, Clinical Outcomes, and Fertility Preservation

Cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) is a rare but potentially dangerous condition that occurs when an embryo implants and develops within the scar tissue from a previous cesarean section. Treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy depends on several factors, including the gestational age of the pregnancy, the presence of complications, and the individual patient's circumstances. We performed a systematic review of the published literature on management of cesarean scar pregnancy and the outcomes, complications, and effects on fertility. A systematic review of recent scientific literature published up to April 2023 in the databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. We used the search keywords "cesarean scar pregnancy," "methotrexate," "systemic," "chemoembolization," and "uterine artery embolization." The baseline search resulted in 413 articles. After the exclusion of 342 irrelevant articles, the abstracts and titles of the remaining 71 articles were read for potential inclusion, resulting in exclusion of a further 16 articles. Therefore, the full texts of 55 articles were investigated. Finally, 42 papers were included in the study. The main finding was that chemoembolization is more successful than systemic methotrexate therapy, and is associated with less blood loss and shorter hospital stay. Transarterial chemoembolization appears to be safe and effective method of treatment in patients with CSP and should thus be considered during multidisciplinary evaluation of these patients.

Association of menstrual blood volume and reproductive outcomes in patients with caesarean scar pregnancy managed using uterine artery embolization and curettage

This study aimed to assess the association of menstrual blood volumes (MBV) and reproductive outcomes in patients after uterine artery embolization (UAE) combined with curettage for caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). This retrospective observational study enrolled women who underwent UAE plus curettage for CSP at the Interventional Department of Henan Provincial People's Hospital between December 2012 and December 2017. The primary outcome was pregnancy rate and the secondary outcomes were live birth rate (LBR) and interpregnancy interval. This study finally included 37 women (16 women with normal MBV and 21 women with decreased MBV) with pregnancy intention after UAE plus curettage for CSP. The pregnancy rate in women with normal MBV was higher than those with decreased MBV (81.3% vs. 47.6%; P = 0.048). There were no differences between the two groups regarding the interpregnancy interval (18.4 ± 8.7 vs. 22.2 ± 10.0 months, P = 0.233), and LBR (63% vs. 38%, P = 0.191). In conclusion, Women with normal MBV after UAE combined with curettage for CSP management might have a higher pregnancy rate compared with patients with decreased MBV, but there were no differences in LBR between the two groups.

Treatment of Cesarean Scar Ectopic Pregnancy in China with Uterine Artery Embolization-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy (CSP) is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy, and treatment of CSP with uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a novel approach. With increasing numbers of cesarean sections being performed annually, the incidence of this condition is likely to increase. The authors became aware of an unusually high number of published studies originating in mainland China regarding this unusual treatment and sought to perform a meta-analysis to provide comprehensive evidence on this novel practice.

METHODS

We performed a thorough search and included all forms of quality studies on this topic that reported UAE as a part of first-line management of CSP. We included only studies originating in China. Ultimately, 37 studies were included for qualitative and quantitative synthesis of evidence. After screening retrieved records and extracting data from eligible studies, we pooled continuous data as a mean estimate and 95% confidence interval (CI), and dichotomous data as proportion and 95% CI.

RESULTS

CSP patients treated with protocols including UAE had a mean time of 30 days for serum β-hCG normalization, 95% CI [26.816, 33.881]. They had a mean estimated intraprocedural blood loss of 4.19 ± 3.76 mL, a mean hospital stay of nine days, 95%CI [7.914, 9.876], and a success rate of 93.4%, 95%CI [0.918, 0.951]. The severe complication rate was 1.2%, 95%CI [0.008, 0.017].

CONCLUSION

UAE, in combination with other procedures is being used effectively for the treatment of CSP in China. Protocols including UAE have a success rate of approximately 93.4%, and a severe complication rate of approximately 1.2%. This data's utility is limited by vast differences in the studied protocols and questionable feasibility outside of China.

Clinical efficacy and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation in treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) I and II

Objective

To investigate the safety and feasibility of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation followed by ultrasound-guided dilation and curettage (USg-D&C) for two types patients with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP-I and CSP-II).

Materials and methods

This study was a retrospective analysis of 101 CSP-I patients and 52 CSP-II patients who received HIFU ablation followed by USg-D&C from Jun 2014 to Oct 2020. The diameter of gestational sac/mass, thickness of the intervening myometrium, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, length of hospital stays, adverse effects and β-HCG level in the two groups were compared.

Results

All patients successfully received HIFU ablation under conscious sedation. The median total treatment time of HIFU ablation and median USg-D&C time in the CSP-I group were statistically longer than those in the CSP-II group (P < 0.05). The average intraoperative median blood loss was 39 ml in the CSP-I group and 65 ml in the CSP-II group (P < 0.05). The duration of hospitalization was 7.07 ± 1.83 days in the CSP-I group and 7.18 ± 1.72 days in the CSP-II group (P > 0.05). The average time needed for β-HCG return to normal levels was 26.08 ± 5.02. and 28.15 ± 4.99 days for CSP-I and CSP-II, respectively (P > 0.05). The percentage of adverse effects and complications was not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

HIFU ablation followed by USg-D&C was safe and effective in treating the CSP-I patients and CSP-II patients, which may be a potential noninvasive therapeutic option for patients with CSP.

Effect of Uterine Arterial Chemoembolization Combined with Ultrasound-Guided Uterine Curettage on Cervical Pregnancy and Influencing Factors

This is a retrospective study to analyze the efficacy of uterine artery chemoembolization (UACE) combined with ultrasound-guided curettage in the treatment of cervical pregnancy and the factors affecting the postoperative outcome. A total of 26 subjects were included in the study and were divided into a control group of 12 and an observer group of 14, all patients with cervical pregnancy diagnosed in our hospital from January 2016 to January 2020. Patients in the control group were treated with methotrexate injection (MTX) combined with ultrasound-guided curettage in our hospital, while the observer group was treated with UACE combined with ultrasound-guided curettage. The efficacy of the two groups was evaluated at 3 months postoperatively, and data on patients' age, days of menopause, pregnancy frequency, and vaginal bleeding were collected retrospectively. Intraoperative bleeding, time to recovery of serum human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), hospitalization time, time to return to normal menstruation, time to disappearance of gestational sac, pregnancy frequency, presence of endometrial inflammation, gestational week, maximum diameter of gestational sac, thinnest myometrium, endogenous-exogenous type, gestational sac size, and HCG level were recorded in both groups. Single-factor analysis and multifactor logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors influencing the surgical outcomes of patients. The results of the study showed that the overall efficiency of the observer group was significantly higher than that of the control group, while intraoperative bleeding, hospital stay, time to return to normal menstruation, and time to disappearance of the gestational sac were all lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The results of univariate and multifactorial analyses showed that endometrial inflammation, gestational week, maximum diameter of the gestational sac, thinnest myometrium, and endogenous-exogenous type could affect the patients' postoperative recovery (p < 0.05); gestational week, maximum diameter of the gestational sac, and thinnest myometrium were independent factors affecting the patients' postoperative recovery (p < 0.05). The above results suggest that UACE combined with ultrasound-guided uterine clearance for cervical pregnancy can significantly improve treatment efficacy, reduce intraoperative bleeding, and improve recovery time from postoperative related symptoms. The treatment efficacy of patients with cervical pregnancy was related to the gestational week, the maximum diameter of the gestational sac, and the thinnest muscle layer.