Interventional Radiology in Obstetric Emergencies

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the common causes of morbidity as well as mortality among pregnant women. Obstetric hemorrhage embolization (OHE)/uterine artery embolization (UAE) is the preferred treatment for PPH which has failed medical therapy. In cases of placental accreta spectrum (PAS), balloon catheter can be prophylactically placed in internal iliac arteries (IIAs) bilaterally before delivery to enable postpartum control of bleeding. An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter can be placed under fluoroscopy for a pregnant woman with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) for whom anticoagulation is contraindicated or needs to be stopped at the time of labor. Injection of chemical into the gestational sac can be performed under ultrasonography (USG) guidance to treat ectopic pregnancy. Percutaneous or transvaginal drainage of a collection can be done by ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) guidance for puerperal sepsis. Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) is performed for obstructive ureterolithiasis in case of urosepsis or significant stone burden. Sonography should be used for the guidance of interventional radiology (IR) procedures whenever possible. Fluoroscopy must be used only if necessary, giving special attention to radiation-sparing maneuvers.

Kulkarni S, Shetty NS, Gupta A, Rao S, Bansal H. Interventional Radiology in Obstetric Emergencies. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(Suppl 3):S273-S278.