Success Rate and Long-Term Effects of Embolization of Pelvic Arteries for the Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Abstract

Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of peripartal maternal mortality and accounts for 25% of all maternal deaths worldwide. The most common reasons of PPH are uterine atony, retained placenta, or placenta accreta spectrum. Treatment of PPH depends on the etiology and corresponds to a stepwise approach, which follows the German, Austrian and Swiss guideline for the diagnosis and therapy of PPH in Switzerland. In severe ongoing PPH, hysterectomy has been the ultima ratio for many decades. Nowadays, interventional embolization of the pelvic arteries (PAE) has become a popular alternative. Besides being a highly effective minimally invasive method, PAE avoids hysterectomy with consecutively reduced morbidity and mortality. However, data on the long-term effects of PAE on fertility and menstrual cycle are scarce.

Methods: We performed a monocentric study consisting of a retro- and a prospective part including all women who had undergone a PAE between 2012 and 2016 at University Hospital Zurich. Descriptive characteristics of patients and efficacy of PAE defined as cessation of bleeding were analyzed retrospectively. In the prospective part, all patients were contacted for a follow-up questionnaire regarding menstruation and fertility after embolization.

Results: Twenty patients with PAE were evaluated. Our data showed a success rate of PAE in 95% of patients with PPH; only 1 patient needed a second, then successful, PAE. No patient needed a hysterectomy or any other surgical intervention. In our study, an association between mode of delivery and identified etiology of PPH is observed. After spontaneous delivery (n = 6), the main reason of severe PPH was retained placenta (n = 4), while after cesarean section (n = 14), uterine atony was identified in most cases (n = 8). Regarding menstruation after embolization, all women reported regular menstruation after the breastfeeding period (100%). The majority reported a regular pattern with a shorter or similar duration (73%) and lower or similar intensity (64%). Dysmenorrhea decreased in 67% of patients. Four patients planned another pregnancy, of whom only one had become pregnant with assisted reproductive technology and ended up in a miscarriage.

Discussion: Our study confirms the efficacy of PAE in PPH, thus obviating complex surgical interventions and associated morbidity. The success of PAE does not depend on the primary cause of PPH. Our results may encourage the prompt decision to perform PAE in the management of severe PPH in case of failure of conservative management and help physicians in the post-interventional counseling regarding menstruation patterns and fertility.

Keywords: Embolization; Postpartum hemorrhage.

Fig. 1

PAE pre- and post-embolization.

Fig. 2

Menstruation pattern after PAE.