Conservative management or cesarean hysterectomy for placenta accreta spectrum in middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundCesarean hysterectomy is a dominant and effective approach during delivery in patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). However, as hysterectomy results in a loss of fertility, conservative management is an alternative approach. However, management selection may be affected by a country's overall economic level. Thus the preferred treatment for PAS generates controversy in middle-income countries.ObjectivesWe aimed to compare conservative management and cesarean hysterectomy for managing PAS in middle-income countries.Search StrategyChina National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Med Online Databases, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, , and Scopus were searched from inception through to October 1, 2022.Selection CriteriaWe included studies that evaluated at least one complication comparing conservative management and hysterectomy. All cases were diagnosed with PAS prenatally and intraoperatively.Data Collection and AnalysisThe primary outcomes were blood loss, adjacent organ damage, and the incidence of hysterectomy. Descriptive analyses were conducted for studies that did not meet the meta-analysis criteria. A fixed-effects model was used for studies without heterogeneity and a random-effects model was used for studies with statistical heterogeneity.Main ResultsIn all, 11 observational studies were included, with 975 and 625 patients who underwent conservative management and cesarean hysterectomy, respectively. Conservative management was significantly associated with decreased blood loss and lower risks of adjacent organ injury and hysterectomy. Conservative management significantly reduced blood transfusions, hospitalization duration, operative time, intensive care unit admission rates, and infections. There were no significant differences in the risks of coagulopathy, thromboembolism, or reoperation.ConclusionGiven short-term complications and future fertility preferences for patients, conservative management appears to effectively manage PAS in middle-income countries. Owing to low levels of evidence, high heterogeneity and insufficient long-term follow-up data, further detailed studies are warranted. In middle-income countries, conservative treatment of placenta accreta spectrum seems to be a viable option for managing PAS in the short term.