Searching for placenta percreta: a prospective cohort and systematic review of case reports

Placenta percreta is described as the most severe grade of placenta accreta spectrum and accounts for a quarter of all cases of placenta accreta spectrum reported in the literature.

We investigated the hypothesis that placenta percreta, which has been described clinically as placental tissue invading through the full thickness of the uterus, is a heterogeneous category with most cases owing to primary or secondary uterine abnormality rather than an abnormally invasive form of placentation.

We have evaluated the agreement between the intraoperative findings using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics classification with the postoperative histopathology diagnosis in a prospective cohort of 101 consecutive singleton pregnancies presenting with a low-lying placenta or placenta previa, a history of at least 1 prior cesarean delivery and ultrasound signs suggestive of placenta accreta spectrum. Furthermore, a systematic literature review of case reports of placenta percreta, which included histopathologic findings and gross images, was performed.

Samples for histologic examination were available in 80 of 101 cases of the cohort, which were managed by hysterectomy or partial myometrial resection. Microscopic examination showed evidence of placenta accreta spectrum in 65 cases (creta, 9; increta, 56). Of 101 cases included in the cohort, 44 (43.5%) and 54 (53.5%) were graded as percreta by observer A and observer B, respectively. There was a moderate agreement between observers. Of note, 11 of 36 cases that showed no evidence of abnormal placental attachment at delivery and/or microscopic examination were classified as percreta by both observers. The systematic literature review identified 41 case reports of placenta percreta with microscopic images and presenting symptomatology, suggesting that most cases were the consequence of a uterine rupture. The microscopic descriptions were heterogeneous, and all descriptions demonstrated histology of placenta creta rather than percreta.

Our study supported the concept that placenta accreta is not an invasive disorder of placentation but the consequence of postoperative surgical remodeling or a preexisting uterine pathology and found no histologic evidence supporting the existence of a condition where the villous tissue penetrates the entire uterine wall, including the serosa and beyond.