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Case Reports
. 2023 Oct 10;23(1):534.
doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02672-x.

A hypervascular placental polyp after complete abortion: a case report

Affiliations
Case Reports

A hypervascular placental polyp after complete abortion: a case report

Ryan Spielvogel. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

Background: Placental polyps are rare complications of delivery or abortion. They are thought to complicate less than 0.25% of all pregnancies, although the actual incidence is unknown. While they typically occur within four weeks of delivery or abortion, they can have a variable presentation, which can lead to a delay in care.

Case presentation: A 35-year-old G4P2012 patient presented at 9 weeks gestation for a medication abortion. Post-abortion ultrasound after one week confirmed the abortion was complete and her bleeding ceased. The patient then presented two months later with the new onset of worrisome bleeding. She was found on ultrasound to have a new hypervascular polypoidal mass in the endometrial cavity. She then underwent an in-office dilation and curettage with an electric vacuum aspirator, which was curative. A follow up ultrasound three months later demonstrated no recurrence.

Conclusions: Placental polyps are a rare complication following pregnancy and should be included in the differential when a patient presents with bleeding and a new mass in the endometrial cavity on ultrasound following a delivery or abortion, even when frankly retained products of conception had been ruled out at time of abortion.

Keywords: Abortion; Case report; Placental polyp; Puerperal disorder; Retained products of conception; Uterine bleeding.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Transvaginal sagittal 2D ultrasound image one week after medication abortion. Ultrasound revealed expected thickened endometrial complex and absence of gestational sac, which was consistent with a medication abortion that was complete. No obvious retained products of conception were present
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Transvaginal sagittal 2D ultrasound (A) with color flow doppler (B) demonstrating a new mass in the endometrial cavity on presentation to the outside emergency department eight weeks after medication abortion. Comment from radiology was, “Markedly thickened endometrium with heterogeneous appearance and marked vascularity.”
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Transvaginal sagittal 2D ultrasound after evacuation of mass in the endometrial cavity by dilation and curettage. Ultrasound demonstrates resolution of the mass in the endometrial cavity

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