Prenatal Diagnosis of Placenta Previa Complicated by Placenta Percreta

Abstract

Placenta previa is one of the most common complications in pregnancy. A partial or complete obstruction of the internal cervical os prevents a normal vaginal delivery. It can be further complicated by placenta accreta. Accreta, increta, and percreta are the three types of placental accreta identified and involve different layers of uterine myometrium. Of these types, percreta is the most invasive, invading through the myometrium to the uterine serosa and potentially affecting surrounding organs or tissues. The prevalence of accreta is increased with those who have a history of cesarean sections. This case study demonstrates how color and gray-scale sonography are a reliable imaging method for identifying placenta previa and accreta.