Retained products of conception

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Retained products of conception complicate nearly 1% of all pregnancies. It occurs with greater frequency after termination of pregnancy than after vaginal or cesarean delivery.

• Differentiation of these entities is important because retained products of conception is treated conservatively or with curettage while gestational trophoblastic disease may require chemotherapy.
• ß-human chorionic gonadotropin remains elevated in patients with gestational trophoblastic disease but falls to an undetectable level over 2–3 weeks in patients with retained products of conception.

• Common symptoms include vaginal bleeding and abdominal or pelvic pain, similar to patients with gestational trophoblastic disease.

Patient #1: US and CT images demonstrate retained products of conception

Patient #1: MR images demonstrate retained placental tissue

Template:WH Template:WS