Endemic placenta accreta in a population of remote villagers in Papua New Guinea

Using a combination of prospective registration of definite cases (n = 47) and retrospective identification of probable cases (n = 22) over a 6.5-year period, we have estimated that the rate of placenta accreta in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea is at least 1.6 per 1000 births, and probably in excess of 2.3 per 1000. This is substantially higher than other reported estimates of the frequency of this condition, which causes significant maternal morbidity. The study population of 130,000 consisted mainly of subsistence cultivators who live in remote hamlets, and included about 27,600 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years. A number of factors seem likely to be important in the aetiology of the condition in Milne Bay Province, including infection associated with previous childbirth and abortion. Over three-quarters of the cases would have been prevented if all women of para greater than or equal to 4 or with a history of retained placenta had used effective contraception. Better obstetric care, including early treatment of postpartum sepsis and incomplete abortion, may also help to reduce the frequency of placenta accreta in this population.