The effects of subchorionic hematoma on pregnancy outcome in patients with threatened abortion

To assess the effects of ultrasonographically detected subchorionic hematomas on pregnancy outcomes in patients with vaginal bleeding within the first half of pregnancy.

Patients diagnosed with threatened abortion due to painless vaginal bleeding and who were followed up in an in-patient service during the first vaginal bleeding between January 2009 and December 2010 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of subchorionic hematoma. Miscarriage rates and pregnancy outcomes of ongoing pregnancies were compared between the groups.

There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding demographic parameters, including age, parity, previous miscarriage history, and gestational age at first vaginal bleeding. While 13 of 44 pregnancies (29.5%) with subchorionic hematoma resulted in miscarriage, 25 of 198 pregnancies (12.6%) without subchorionic hematoma resulted in miscarriage (p=.010). The gestational age at miscarriage and the duration between first vaginal bleeding and miscarriage were similar between the groups. The outcome measures of ongoing pregnancies, such as gestational week at delivery, birth weight, and delivery route, were also similar between the groups.

Ultrasonographically detected subchorionic hematoma increases the risk of miscarriage in patients with vaginal bleeding and threatened abortion during the first 20 weeks of gestation. However, it does not affect the pregnancy outcome measures of ongoing pregnancies.