Conservative Management of Uterine Rupture in Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia: A Report of 2 Cases

Abstract

Cases of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) with uterine rupture are often catastrophic owing to profuse bleeding, which could be potentially lethal. Management often entails removal of the uterus. Among patients in the reproductive age who have not completed their desired family size, such a procedure could be unacceptable. To address this, uterine resection of localized disease has been performed to preserve fertility. However, in some cases, resection would not leave much of the uterus for future fertility. Hence, primary repair of the rupture could be done. Two cases of uterine rupture in low-risk GTN conservatively managed with primary uterine rupture repair using hemostatic stitches and postoperative single-agent chemotherapy are presented. Both patients were in their early reproductive years and with a great desire to preserve future fertility. The extent of the disease was evaluated in both cases intraoperatively before considering this conservative approach. Such management proved to be effective for both cases. The 2 cases presented are the first reported successful cases in literature on which primary repair of uterine tumor rupture by oversewing with figure-of-eight stitches were done. One should then consider this as a new option in the management of patients who have GTN with uterine rupture, highly desirous of pregnancy, with large uterine tumors but relatively small areas of rupture for which simple stitches would suffice in providing adequate hemostasis.