Complications of Pregnancy Flashcards
Pregnancy that implants outside of the uterine cavity
Ectopic Pregnancy
99% of time is in the fallopian tube, MC ampulla but can occur in ovary, cervix, abdominal wall
What are risk factors for ectopic pregnancy?
- Prior ectopic pregnancy - scarring in the tube
- STDs
- PID
- Assisted reproductive technology
- IUD
What does the patient complain of with a ectopic pregnancy?
- Vaginal bleeding
- Lower abdominal pain
What should you expect on physical exam of a patient with ectopic pregnancy?
- Adnexal mass
- Tenderness on pelvic exam
- When ectopic is ruptured, patient may be hypotensive, unresponsive, signs of peritoneal irritation
What are lab findings with ectopic pregnancy?
- +bhCG but does not double every 48h as it does with a normal IUP
- Level of b-hCG at which a pregnancy should be seen in the uterus - discriminatory zone (1500-2000)
What are findings on ultrasound of a patient with ectopic pregnancy?
- Empty uterus or pseudo-gestational sac
- Adnexal mass or extra uterine pregnancy
What is a heterotropic pregnancy?
- IUP and ectopic pregnancy
- Especially worrisome with ART patients
What is pathoneumonic for ectopic pregnancy?
Donut sign
How is ectopic pregnancy treated?
- Methotrexate: folic acid antagonist that is highly effective against rapidly proliferating tissue (ie trophoblasts)
- Laparoscopy
What patients can be selected for medical management with methotrexate for ectopic pregnancy?
- Asymptomatic, motivated, compliant
- Low initial B-hCG (<5000)
- Small ectopic size (<3.5 cm)
- Absent fetal cardiac activity
- No evidence of intraabdominal bleeding
What are contraindications to methotrexate?
- Sensitivity to MTX
- Evidence of tubal rupture
- Breast feeding
- IUP
- Hepatic, renal, or hematologic dysfunction
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Active pulmonary disease
- Evidence of immunodeficiency
What labs should be checked before administering methotrexate?
- CMP
- CBC
How is methotrexate dosed?
Single dose
Multidose
How is a single dose regimen of methotrexate monitored?
- Check B-hCG on day 1 then 4 then 7
- Should decrease by 15% from day 4-7
- Can consider repeating dose of methotrexate if first not effective
What are side effects of methotrexate?
- Separation pain: increasing abdominal pain beginning a few days after therapy. mild and relieved with analgesics
- Liver
- Stomatitis
- Gastroenteritis
- Bone marrow depression
- Avoid leafy veggies!
What is the preferred surgical treatment for ectopic pregnancy?
`
- Laparoscopy salpinostomy or salpingectomy (done more often)
- Salpinostomy has higher subsequent uterine pregnancy and persistent functioning trophoblast
What is considered an abortion?
`
Pregnancy that ends before 20 weeks gestation
What are types of abortions?
- Complete abortion: complete expulsion of all products of conception before 20 weeks
- Incomplete abortion: partial expulsion of some but not all POC before 20 weeks
- Inevitable abortion: no expulsion of products, but vaginal bleeding and dilation of the cervix such that a viable pregnancy is unlikely
- Missed abortion: death of embryo or fetus before 20 weeks with complete retention of all POC
- Threatened abortion: any vaginal bleeding before 20 weeks without dilation of the cervix or expulsion of any POC
What will be found on history and physical exam of a complete abortion?
- History of vaginal bleeding and passage of tissue
- Cervical os closed
What will be seen on ultrasound of a complete abortion?
Nothing inside the uterus
What is treatment of a complete abortion?
- If patient brought POC, send to pathology
- No medical treatment necessary
- Follow up important if no evidence of POC because cannot rule out ectopic
What will be found on history and physical of a incomplete abortion?
- Vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping
- POC protruding through dilated os or active vaginal bleeding
What will be seen on ultrasound of a incomplete abortion?
Nonviable intrauterine pregnancy
What is treatment of a incomplete abortion?
- Curettage
- Prostaglandins
- Expectant management
What will be found on history and physical of a patient with inevitable abortion?
- Cervical dilation
- Rupture of membranes or vaginal bleeding
What will be seen on ultrasound of a patient with inevitable abortion?
- Intrauterine pregnancy
What is treatment for inevitable abortion?
- Prostaglandins
- Expectant management
On history and physical exam, you see a closed cervical os with the absence of uterine growth and on ultrasound you see a nonviable intrauterine pregnancy. What type of abortion is this?
Missed abortion
What is treatment of a missed abortion?
- Curettage
- Prostaglandins
- Expectant management
A patient has a closed cervical os and vaginal spotting on history and physical exam before 20 weeks. They have a viable intrauterine pregnancy on ultrasound. What do you suspect they have?
Threatened abortion
What is treatment for threatened abortion?
Pelvic rest
Monitor closely
What should Rh negative females receive?
RhoGAM
What is the mechanism of action of RhoGAM?
Suppresses the immune response and antibody formation of Rh negative individuals to Rh positive red blood cells
What is a molar pregnancy?
Excessively edematous immature placenta
What are characteristics of a molar pregnancy?
- Villous stromal edema
- Trophoblast proliferation
- Caused by chromosomally abnormal fertilizations
What are risk factors for a molar pregnancy?
- Age 12-20 or older than 30
- History of prior mole
What are types of moles?
Partial
Complete
What is a complete mole?
- 46, XX or XY with both sets of chromosomes paternal in origin. Chromosomes of ovum absent or inactivated
What is the clinical presentation of complete mole?
- Vaginal bleeding
- Large for date: soft consistency of uterus
- hCG of >100,000
- Theca lutein cysts present due to overstimulation of lutein elements by hCG
What is the pathology of complete mole?
No fetal parts
Edematous villi
What is a partial mole?
- 69 XXX or XXY occasionally XYY
- Two paternal haploid sets of chromosomes and one maternal haploid set
What is the clinical presentation of partial mole?
- Missed abortion
- Small for dates
What is the pathology of partial mole?
Fetal parts present
How is a molar pregnancy diagnosed?
- Serum hCG
- Ultrasound: complete mole with echogenic uterine mass with numerous anechoic cystic spaces but without fetus or amnionic sac –>SNOWSTORM APPEARANCE; partial mole: thickened, multicystic placenta along with a fetus or fetal tissue
- Confirmed with pathology
What is common sequelae of molar pregnancy?
- Thyroid storm: elevated hCG –> elevated TSH which elevates fT4, normalizes after uterine evacuation
- Hyperemesis gravidarum
- Preeclampsia/eclampsia (rarely seen due to early diagnosis and evacuation)
How is molar pregnancy managed?
- Preop evaluation of thyroid studies, CBC, CMP, CXR (if it were to become cancer mets common), EKG (if it were to become cancer arrhythmias common), Type and screen
- Suction dilation and curettage: pitocin as evacuation begins and Rhogam if Rh negative
What postevacuation surveillance should be done for a molar pregnancy?
- Follow B-hCG levels and check 48 h postevacuation then every 1-2 weeks until undetectable
- Check monthly for 6 months, if remains undetectable ok to allow pregnancy. Should have reliable contraception prior
Bleeding that occurs with a viable mature fetus (typically considered >24 weeks)
Antepartum bleeding
Where can antepartum bleeding come from?
Bladder, rectum, or vagina
What is a common cause of antepartum bleeding that can be related to recent sexual activity?
Cervicitis
Separation of placenta either partially or totally from its implantation site before delivery
Placental abruption
What causes placental abruption? What are categories of placental abruption?
- Hemorrhage into decidua
- Complete or partial
- Concealed or revealed
What are symptoms of placental abruption?
- Active bleeding and lots of pain
Placental abruption can occur early in pregnancy. What is this considered and what can it be associated with?
Chronic abruption. Elevated AFP. Should monitor closely throughout pregnancy
What are risk factors for placental abruption?
- Trauma
- Increasing maternal age
- Hypertension/preeclampsia
- Preterm premature ruptured membranes
- Cigarette smoking
- Cocaine
- Lupus anticoagulant and thrombophilias
- Uterine fibroids
- Recurrent abruption
What are clinical findings of placental abruption?
- Sudden onset abdominal pain
- Vaginal bleeding
- Uterine tenderness
How is placental abruption diagnosed?
- Diagnosis of exclusion
- US: limited use because negative findings do not exclude abruption
What are complications of placental abruption?
- Hypovolemic shock (will need to be delivered ASAP) due to maternal blood loss
- Consumptive coagulopathy (or DIC)
- Acute kidney injury
- Couvelaire uterus
How is hypovolemic shock due to placental abruption managed?
Crystalloid and blood infusion
What causes consumptive coagulopathy during placental abruption?
- Intravascular activation of clotting
How does placental abruption cause acute kidney injury?
- Hypovolemia leads to inadequate renal perfusion and oliguria
- Can be prevented with treatment of hypovolemia
What is Couvelaire uterus?
Wide spread extravasation of blood into the uterine musculature beneath the serosa
How is placental abruption managed?
- Varies depending on clinical condition, gestational age, and associated hemorrhage
- Cesarean delivery vs vaginal delivery: cesarean quicker but risk of consumptive coagulopathy causing increased bleeding. If deceased fetus, vaginal delivery preferred
- Expectant management: should be considered with premature fetus
Placenta that is implanted somewhere in the lower uterine segment either over or very near the internal cervical os
Placenta previa
How is placenta previa classified?
- Placenta previa: internal os is covered partially or completely by placenta
- Low-lying placenta: implantation in lower uterine segment is such that placental edge does not reach internal os and remains outside a 2 cm wide perimeter around the os
What are risk factors for placenta previa?
- Increasing maternal age
- Increasing parity
- Prior cesarean delivery
- Cigarette smoking
- Elevated MSAFP
What are clinical features of placental previa?
- Painless vaginal bleeding, usually after second trimester
What causes painless vaginal bleeding in the second trimester with placental previa?
- Uterine body remodeling to form lower uterine segment
- Internal os dilates and some of the placenta inevitably separates
- Bleeding occurs and myometrium is unable to contract to stop
How is placenta previa diagnosed?
- Transvaginal ultrasound
What should not be performed until previa is ruled out?!
Digital exam!! Can cause severe hemorrhage
What is placental migration in placenta previa?
- Movement of the placenta away from the internal os
- Differential growth of lower and upper uterine segments as pregnancy progresses
- Greater upper uterine blood flow leads to placental growth towards the fundus
Low lying placenta is more likely to persist if a patient has a history of what?
- Prior cesarean or hysterotomy scar
How is placenta previa managed?
- Consider fetal maturity, labor, and amount of bleeding
- Preterm fetus: no persistent active vaginal bleeding –> observe
- Preterm fetus: persistent active vaginal bleeding –> delivery
- Term fetus: deliver by cesarean section
What is placenta accrete syndrome?
- Abnormally implanted, invasive, or adhered placenta
- Abnormal firm adherence to myometrium because of partial or total absence of the decidua basalis and imperfect development of fibrinoid layer
What is placenta accreta?
Villi attached to myometrium
What is placenta increta?
Villi invade myometrium
What is placenta percreta?
Villi penetrate through the myometrium and to or through the serosa
What are risk factors for placenta accrete syndromes?
- Associated placenta previa
- Prior cesarean delivery
What is the clinical presentation of placenta accrete syndromes?
No symptoms, picked up on US
How is placenta accrete syndrome diagnosed?
- Ultrasound
- Delivery
- Pathology: confirms diagnosis and extent of invasion
How is placenta accrete syndrome managed?
- Planned delivery at tertiary center around 34-36 weeks to avoid emergency cesarean delivery
- Risk of hysterectomy discussed
- Preop uterine artery embolization considered
- Consider leaving placenta in situ to absorb and subsequent hysterectomy when blood loss lessened
What is cervical insufficiency?
- Painless cervical dilatation in the second trimester
- Followed by prolapsing and ballooning of membranes into the vagina and ultimately expulsion of immature fetus
What are risk factors for cervical insufficiency?
- Prior cervical trauma: dilation and curettage, conization, cauterization of the cervix
- DES exposure
How is cervical insufficiency evaluated?
Ultrasound confirms living fetus
Cervical swabs for infection
What is expectant management for cervical insufficiency?
- Trendelenburg position
- Pelvic rest
- Delivery?
- Cerclage?
What is treatment for cervical insufficiency?
- Usually with next pregnancy
- Cerclage: purse string suture that reinforces weak cervix