Newsletter Archive

  • Placenta accreta is an infrequent placental anomaly, usually diagnosed at the time of the mid-trimester anatomy ultrasound at 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy, but it may be discovered later, including at delivery.“Diagnosis requires sophisticated color Doppler, pulsed Doppler, 3D sonography, and in some cases MRI to detect any involvement of the placenta with adjacent abdominal organs. Patients with placenta accreta are at risk for morbidity and mortality because of life-threatening hemorrhage, which makes this a very frightening condition for mothers,” says Baha Sibai, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

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  • “When a diagnosis of placenta accreta has not been made prior to delivery and the delivery team discovers invasion of the bladder and other organs by the placenta, we recommend that they close the abdomen immediately and send the patient to us,” says Baha Sibai, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

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  • Edgar Hernandez-Andrade, MD, PhD, professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and Eleazar Soto Torres, MD, assistant professor in the division, have imaged and studied placentas together for 14 years, first at Wayne State University and the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in Detroit, and since 2020 at UTHealth Houston. The two experts in maternal and fetal imaging are intrigued by the function of the placenta itself and have conducted research to characterize it.

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  • Sandra Uribe, RN, BSN
    Maternal-Fetal Medicine Navigator
    Children’s Memorial Hermann HospitalSandra Uribe is the first nurse in a family of physicians. “Being a nurse in a family of physicians is not about being an outlier. It’s about completing the picture of comprehensive patient care,” she says. “Every role, whether diagnosing, treating, or nurturing, is crucial in the tapestry of healing.”The capacity to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically has allowed Uribe to excel at caring for high-risk maternal-fetal medicine patients, particularly those diagnosed with placenta accreta. They deal with fear throughout their pregnancies as they approach the possibility of a traumatic delivery.
  • Holly Howington, BSN, RNC-OB
    Clinical Manager, OB/GYN Continuity Clinic
    Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
    McGovern Medical School at UTHealth In addition to her experience on the outpatient side, Holly Howington brings to the table 20 years of nursing practice on the inpatient side at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, working with Sandra Uribe. The two bridge the gap between inpatient and outpatient care for high-risk mothers. “When a mother is referred to us with placenta accreta, I personally call her and write her intake history,” Howington says.

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  • Fishel Bartal M, Papanna R, Zacharias NM, Soriano-Calderon N, Limas M, Blackwell SC, Chen HY, Chauhan SP, Sibai BM. Planned versus Unplanned Delivery for Placenta Accreta Spectrum. Am J Perinatol. 2022 Feb;39(3):252-258. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1714676. Epub 2020 Jul 23. PMID: 32702770.
  • Hernandez Andrade E, Soto E, Tirosh D. “Placenta, Amniotic Fluid, Umbilical Cord and Membranes” in Fundamental and Advanced Fetal Imaging: Ultrasound and MRI, 2nd ed, Chapter 13. Wolters Kluwer Health, USA, 2020 (ISBN-13: 978-1975117009 ISBN-10: 197511700X)
  • Pineles BL, Coselli J, Ghorayeb T, Fishel Bartal M, Zvavanjanja RC, Blackwell SC, Papanna R, Sibai BM. Leaving the Placenta In Situ in Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders: A Single-Center Case Series. Am J Perinatol. 2022 Sep 12. doi: 10.1055/a-1885-1942. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35752168.
  • Pineles BL, Sibai BM, Sentilhes L. Is conservative management of placenta accreta spectrum disorders practical in the United States? Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023 Mar;5(3):100749. doi: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2022.100749. Epub 2022 Sep 13. PMID: 36113717.