Value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of placental abruption.

Placental abruption is a serious cause of fetal mortality. We retrospectively reviewed 24 patients with placental abruption who underwent cesarean section to evaluate ultrasonographic images with reference to the clinical findings and fetal and maternal prognosis. Fourteen of these patients presenting with placental edge separation and persistent hematoma showed a significantly smaller area of abruption, a smaller amount of intraoperative bleeding, a smaller incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation, and a higher Apgar score as compared to the 10 patients with a thickened placenta. The patients with thickened placenta tended to have a typical clinical presentation, whereas those with placental edge separation and hematoma appeared to have an atypical and mild clinical manifestation. It was concluded that ultrasonography is useful in the diagnosis of mild and atypical placental abruption.