Placenta accreta spectrum in early and late pregnancy from an imaging perspective. A scoping review

Abstract

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders (with increasing order of the depth of invasion: accreta, increta, percreta) are quite challenging for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment. Pathological examination or imaging evaluation are not very dependable when considered as stand-alone diagnostic tools. On the other hand, timely diagnosis is of great importance, as maternal and fetal mortality drastically increases if patient goes through the third phase of delivery in a not well-suited facility. A multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis (incorporating clinical, imaging, and pathological evaluation) is mandatory, particularly in complicated cases. For imaging evaluation, the diagnostic modality of choice in most scenarios is ultrasound (US) exam; patients are referred for MRI when US is equivocal, inconclusive, or not visualizing placenta properly. Herewith, we review the reported US and MRI features of PAS disorders (mainly focusing on MRI), going over the normal placental imaging and imaging pitfalls in each section, and lastly, covering the imaging findings of PAS disorders in the first trimester and cesarean section pregnancy (CSP).