Radiology, Vol 164, 357-361, Copyright © 1987 by Radiological Society of North America
Placental abruption and placental hemorrhage: correlation of sonographic findings with fetal outcome
DA Nyberg, LA Mack, TJ Benedetti, DR Cyr and WP Schuman
Sixty-nine cases of placental abruption and placental hemorrhage detected
with ultrasonography (US) were reviewed retrospectively to determine
whether US findings correlate with fetal outcome. Four patients were lost
to follow-up, and in the remaining 65 patients fetal outcome included
demise in 12 cases (18%), termination of pregnancy in six (9%), premature
delivery of a living infant in 15 (23%), term delivery of an infant who was
small for gestational age in four (6%), and normal term delivery in 28
(43%). Fetal mortality correlated best with the estimated percentage of
placental detachment, but was also significantly (P less than .01)
associated with the location (retroplacental) and size (greater than 60 ml)
of hemorrhage. Premature labor was associated (P less than .001) only with
gestational age at the time of clinical presentation. No sonographic
finding was identified as a risk factor for small-for-gestational-age
infants. Sonographic findings of placental abruption correlate with fetal
outcome, and this information may be useful for guiding obstetric
management.
