Fetal survival in abdominal pregnancy: a review of 11 cases.
OBJECTIVE
Little has been written regarding the ultrasound imaging features that might allow prediction of fetal viability in abdominal pregnancies. Toward this goal, we present our experience with a series of 11 abdominal pregnancies.


METHODS
From 1981 to 1993, 11 patients presented to Universidad Catolica, Santiago, and Universidad de Austral, Valdivia, Chile, with third trimester abdominal pregnancies. Five had complete ultrasound examinations, and these five patients were managed expectantly. The other six women presented as acute abdominal emergencies and underwent emergent surgery.


RESULTS
Four of five fetuses that survived had a complete placental attachment to the uterus, and one surviving neonate had a partial attachment of the placenta to the uterus. Three fetuses died prior to delivery, and all three had a complete mesenteric placental attachment. Two died in the early neonatal period. One had a complete uterine placental attachment, and the other had a partial attachment.


CONCLUSIONS
The survival rate of abdominal pregnancies may be better than is generally believed. Placental attachment to the uterus appears to be a factor related to fetal survival and maternal morbidity. More cases are necessary to determine the feasibility of managing women with abdominal pregnancies expectantly.
University of Texas-Houston, LBJ General Hospital, department of Radiology, Houston 77026, USA.
T J
TJ
Dubinsky
F
F
Guerra
G
G
Gormaz
N
N
Maklad
D001724:Birth Weight; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011269:Pregnancy, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal