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Interventional Radiology in Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention Strategies

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Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology in Gynecological and Obstetric Diseases

Abstract

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, accounting for 25% approximately.

The most common causes of PPH are uterine atony and abnormally invasive placentation (AIP); patients with AIP require a challenging management and are at high risk of massive blood unit transfusions and hysterectomies.

The risk factors for AIP have been clearly recognized and are increasing in terms of occurrence in Western countries; so, an antenatal diagnosis of AIP should be performed in order to apply preventive strategies at the moment of delivery.

The role of endovascular procedures in this field has been encouraged by multiple studies but a univoque standardized strategy still has to be established.

Altogether, two main different preventive endovascular techniques can be recognized: prophylactic uterine arteries embolization and balloon catheters positioning in hypogastric arteries or aorta.

This chapter aims to review the main technical aspects of these procedures and analyze the literature data.

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Giurazza, F., Corvino, F., Niola, R. (2023). Interventional Radiology in Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention Strategies. In: Niola, R., Pinto, A., Giurazza, F. (eds) Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology in Gynecological and Obstetric Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11910-1_16

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