Assciation. between previous caesarean section and occurrence of placenta praevia and pathological placental adherence

ABSTRACT

A 5-year retrospective study was carried out at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore, to determine the relationship between previous uterine scars and the incidence of placenta praevia and pathological placental adherence. A total of 21.808 deliveries occurred in the said period and 341 were diagnosed as cases of placenta praevia during Caesarean section, giving an incidence of 1.56%. The incidence of placenta praevia in parturients with unscarred uteri was 1.25% as compared to 5.74% in cases with scarred uteri. The risk of placenta praevia increased in direct proportion to the number of previous uterine incisions. With one previous scar the incidence was 2.60% which went up to 27.27% in cases with 4 or more previous Caesarean sections. The incidences of pathological placental adherence in patients with unscarred uteri and placenta praevia was 3.54% and it escalated to 28.74% in cases with placenta praevia and scarred uterus