Rajeswary Pillay1, Sanam P2
Pre-eclampsia is a complex clinical syndrome involving multiple systems organs and still remains the principal cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. The search for an ideal predictive test and preventive measures remain challenging. A prospective study was designed to find out whether lateral implantation of placenta as identified by USS at 18-20 weeks of gestation can be used to predict the development of pre-eclampsia.
METHODS: This study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Maternal and Child Health, Government Medical College, Kozhikode.
STUDY PERIOD: 10 months from Dec 2012- Oct 2013. A USS was done between 18-20 weeks for 100 uncomplicated primigravidae to decipher placental location and followed up till delivery to look for development of hypertension.
RESULTS: On follow up, 21 women (66%) in the lateral placenta group developed hypertension while only 7 (10%) developed hypertension in central placenta group. Of the total 28 patients who developed hypertension, 21 had lateral placenta which accounts to 75%, which is statistically significant with p value of <0.001.
