The role of ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of postpartum hemorrhage
Ilenia Mappa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorLodovico Patrizi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorGiuseppe Maria Maruotti
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorLuigi Carbone
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorFrancesco D'Antonio
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Chieti, Chieti, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Giuseppe Rizzo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Correspondence
Giuseppe Rizzo, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Roma Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorIlenia Mappa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorLodovico Patrizi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorGiuseppe Maria Maruotti
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorLuigi Carbone
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorFrancesco D'Antonio
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università di Chieti, Chieti, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Giuseppe Rizzo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata Roma, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Correspondence
Giuseppe Rizzo, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Roma Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of death or severe morbidity for the mother after delivery. As a consequence healthcare staff working in the delivery room should be trained to perform a prompt diagnosis and adequate management of PPH. Uneventful outcome is induced correct identification of the underlying cause of hemorrhage. Ultrasound is a promising technique for the prompt diagnosis of PPH etiology. Indeed, it is easily available, with relatively low cost, not using ionizing radiation, and can be used in different settings including the labor room, the operating theater and at the bedside of an affected women. In order to be effective Obstetricians should have an adequate knowledge of postpartum ultrasonography. In this article, we will review the sonographic findings occurring in PPH, in the differential diagnosis of the underlying cause of hemorrhage, that include retained placenta, morbidly adherent placenta, rupture of the uterus uterine, vascular anomalies of the uterine arteries and uterine inversion. We will also provide an algorithm to manage PPH according to the ultrasonographic findings.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
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