The Application of Stepwise Pelvic Devascularisation in the Management of Severe Placenta Accreta Spectrum as Part of the Soleymani and Collins Technique for Caesarean Hysterectomy: Surgical Description and Evaluation of Short- and Long-Term Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Severe (FIGO grade 3b & c) placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is potentially a life-threatening condition due to catastrophic haemorrhage at delivery. Consequently, interventional radiology (IR) techniques are often employed to prevent massive blood loss, but this is not always readily available, is costly, and can cause significant morbidity, including distal limb ischaemia due to thrombus formation. We believe that internal iliac ligation under direct vision is a safe option to control bleeding. We sought to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes relating to this technique compared to IR. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods cohort study of women with severe PAS who underwent hysterectomy with either surgical devascularisation, as part of the Soleymani and Collins (SAC) technique, or IR insertion of internal iliac balloon catheters, in a UK tertiary referral centre for PAS between 2011 and 2022. Only women with intraoperative diagnosis of very severe PAS (FIGO stage 3b & c) were included in this study. RESULTS: Of the 22 women invited to participate in the long-term component of the study, 59% agreed. Women in the surgical devascularisation group experienced no adverse short or late sequelae related to internal iliac arterial ligation. Pelvic devascularisation (11 patients, 41%) demonstrated a reduction in median estimated blood loss, 1600 millilitres vs. 2500 millilitres in the IR balloon catheter group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that the SAC technique for surgical devascularisation is a safe method for achieving haemorrhage control during caesarean hysterectomy for severe PAS. It also appears to be at least as effective at haemorrhage control as IR balloon occlusion of the internal iliac vessels.