The Difficult Cesarean Delivery: Safeguards and Pitfalls

Rising numbers of Cesarean sections and maternal obesity and associated health risks have resulted in increasingly complex Cesarean deliveries and outcomes, requiring today’s surgeon to stay attuned to evolving best practices and master new surgical techniques. This first-of-its-kind reference provides step-by-step, highly illustrated guidance on managing challenging Cesarean sections with a focus on the challenges of abnormal placentation and strategies to manage it. In a concise, readable format, this text is designed to help surgeons anticipate intraoperative and postoperative challenges and optimize outcomes for mother and baby. Focuses on avoiding and managing surgical pitfalls and complications, providing safeguards and practical, hands-on guidance for surgeons at all levels of experience. Reviews the physiology of abnormal placentation (placenta accreta spectrum) and management of pre-delivery diagnosis, intraoperative and emergent abnormal placentation. Covers preparation and decision-making regarding type of incision, anesthesia, uterine conservation, management of acute post-procedure hemorrhage, intraoperative uterine artery catheterization and occlusion, and transarterial embolization. Includes special chapters on Peripartum Hysterectomy, Urologic and Gastrointestinal Injuries, Prerequisites for the Operative Suite, and two important imaging chapters on Diagnostic Imaging in Abnormal Placentation and the Role of Interventional Radiology.