Complete Rupture of the Pregnant Uterus: A 10-year Retrospective Descriptive Study

The goal of this work is to analyze the incidence, etiology, clinical characteristics, maternal and neonatal outcomes of complete uterine rupture during pregnancy.

The information of complete uterine rupture between June 2010 and May 2020 was investigated retrospectively at a tertiary center, and included demographic data, delivery characteristics, intraoperative findings, and maternal and neonatal outcomes. The prevalence rate of uterine rupture in the early group (hospitalized from June 2010 to May 2015) and late group (June 2015 to May 2020) was compared and analyzed.

There were 37 (0.056%) cases of complete uterine rupture in 66 092 births, including 27 (0.041%) of scar uterus and 10 (0.015%) of non-scarred uterus. High-risk factors for scarred uterine rupture included: previous cesarean section (13, 48.1%), myomectomy (8, 29.6%), corneal pregnancy resection (6, 22.2%), history of uterine rupture (1, 3.7%), and uterus perforation during abortion (1, 3.7%). Compared to the early group, the number of uterine ruptures caused by previous cesarean section was significantly reduced in the late group. Of the 10 patients with non-scarred uterine rupture, 3 (30%) occurred during delivery and 7 (70%) were spontaneous. Among the 37 complete rupture patients, 3 (8.1%) died of uterine scar rupture, 19 (51.3%) cases were reported with fetal/newborn deaths, 5 (13.5%) cases underwent hysterectomy and the rest were treated with uterine repair.

Complete uterine rupture often has catastrophic effect on pregnancy outcomes. Obstetrics doctors should be vigilant to identify the risk factors and clinical presentations of uterine rupture during pregnancy. Strict prenatal management is beneficial to improve pregnancy outcomes.