Abstract:

Incarceration of the gravid uterus (IGU) is a rare and serious pregnancy complication, without specific clinical manifestations. IGU can causes distortion of the pelvic structures, and can be easily misdiagnosed as placenta previa during late-pregnancy ultrasound examination. Inadequate diagnosis and treatment of this disease can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as spontaneous abortion, preterm labor, and uterine rupture. This paper retrospectively analyzes a late-pregnancy case of IGU. The case had no specific clinical presentation and was detected during a routine prenatal ultrasound performed in late trimester of pregnancy. The patient underwent a cesarean section at 36 weeks of gestation, and intraoperative exploration and postoperative pathology clarified that IGU was caused by adhesions between an adenomyoma at the base of the uterus and surrounding tissues, restricting the expansion of the uterine fundus as pregnancy progressed. In this case, the mother and baby had favorable outcomes. This paper summarizes the risk factors, clinical presentation, imaging manifestations, and treatment experience of IGU, in order to improve clinicians′ understanding of the disease, reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of IGU, and improve pregnancy outcomes.

Key words: Pregnancy trimester, third, Uterine retroversion, Pregnancy complications, Leiomyoma, Incarceration of the gravid uterus