Management of unscarred ruptured uterus

Rupture of an unscarred gravid uterus is a rare and dangerous event. We carried out a postal questionnaire survey of the Fellows of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (United Kingdom), to ascertain the past and present management policies in such an event. 210 Fellows responded (43.5%) and 85 of them managed at least one case of uterine rupture in previously unscarred gravid uterus.

A total of 108 cases were reported of which 74 (68.5%) were diagnosed during labor. The tear was repaired and the uterus conserved in 56.5% cases. Maternal mortality was 10.2% (95% CI 5.2, 17.5) and perinatal mortality was 34.3% (95% CI 25.4, 44). When asked how they would manage such a case in the absence of life threatening circumstances in future, 80.8% of Fellows would opt for uterine repair. Fellows with previous hands-on experience of uterine rupture would involve urologists more often in operative management (22% v 8%, OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.2, 10.1). 48% of Fellows felt that in-patient management is indicated in subsequent pregnancies and 91% would perform an elective cesarean section in subsequent pregnancy.