Prenatally diagnosed vasa previa: association with adverse obstetrical and neonatal outcomes

• Published in: American journal of obstetrics & gynecology MFM 2020-11, Vol.2 (4), p.100206-100206, Article 100206
• Main Authors: Westcott, Jill M., Simpson, Samantha, Chasen, Stephen, Vieira, Luciana, Stone, Joanne, Doulaveris, Georgios, Dar, Peer, Bernstein, Peter S., Atallah, Fouad, Dolin, Cara D., Roman, Ashley S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: multiple gestation; prematurity; prenatal counseling; vasa previa
• ISSN: 2589-9333; 2589-9333
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2020.100206

Vasa previa represents a rare prenatal finding with potentially life-threatening risk to the fetus. This study aimed to describe the natural history of prenatally diagnosed vasa previa and evaluate the association between antenatally diagnosed vasa previa and adverse obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. This was a multicenter descriptive and retrospective study of patients diagnosed prenatally with vasa previa on transvaginal ultrasound in the New York City Maternal-Fetal Medicine Research Consortium centers between 2012 and 2018. Outcomes evaluated included persistence of vasa previa at the time of delivery, gestational age at delivery, indications for unplanned unscheduled delivery, and neonatal course. A total of 165 pregnancies with vasa previa were included, of which 16 were twin gestations. Forty-three cases (26.1%) were noted to resolve on subsequent ultrasound. Of the remaining 122 cases with persistent vasa previa, 46 (37.7%) required unscheduled delivery. Twin gestations were nearly 3 times as likely to require unscheduled delivery as singleton gestations (73.3% vs 25.2%; P