A case report of asymptomatic placenta previa: diagnosis and management

Placenta previa is a condition derived to an abnormal implantation of the embryos in the lower uterine segment, a place that predisposes to persistent uterine bleeding because of the development of new vessels and because it is a poorly contractile area of the uterus. Risk factors for placents previa are: maternal age, number of pregnancies, cigarette smoking, multiple pregnancies, previus surgery on the uterus including caesarean section, previous placenta previa. Usually placenta previa becomes symptomatic in the third trimester of pregnancy and it is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The Authors present a case of 38 years old woman whit complete placenta previa who comes to the ER of their hospital complex with plenty of vaginal bleeding; a caesarean section is performed in emergency. There is not doubt that the diagnosis of placenta previa is mainly ultrasound. Clinical and instrumental controls (ultrasound) in these patients will certainly have a frequency different from the other pregnancies and in many cases will require hospitalization. The mode of delivery is in most cases by emergency or elective Caesarean. The Authors based the management of the reported case on the review of the last 20-year International Literature, according to which, in the presence of this type of previa, an Early Term Birth (ETB) at 37 weeks and 0 days is associated with a better maternal and neonatal prognosis if compared to both a Late Preterm Birth (LPTB) at 34-36 weeks or a Term Birth (TB) at 38-39 weeks.