Internal iliac artery ligation for severe postpartum hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes of bilateral internal iliac artery ligation (IIAL) in severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). DESIGN Multi-center retrospective study. METHODS The study was performed from January 2005 to December 2010, at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Dicle University Medical Faculty and Maternity Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey. Life-threatening cases of severe postpartum hemorrhage, which could not be controlled with conservative medical and surgical treatments and finally managed with IIAL, were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS Totally 53 patients who underwent IIAL procedures were included in the study. All patients were hemodynamically unstable. The mean shock index and transfused units of blood were 1.17 +/- 0.46, 5.49 +/- 3.04, respectively. Uterine atony was the leading cause of severe postpartum hemorrhage and the need for IIAL. Coagulopathy developed in 26 (49.1%) patients during the postoperative follow-up period. Uterus was preserved in 17 (32.0%) cases. Three patients died of complications and/or morbidity associated with hemorrhage. CONCLUSION Serious PPH is most frequently associated with uterine atony and IIAL should be considered in cases with severe PPH unresponsive to other treatment modalities. If, in the antenatal period, patients have risk factors of postpartum hemorrhage, they must be transferred to appropriate centers to prevent a possibly fatal outcome.