Aim: This research was aimed the show of the effectiveness of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of intraabdominal complications in patients with uterine rupture (UR) due to vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) and admitted to the clinic late. It was aimed to discuss the treatment management and clinical course of patients. Materials and Method: Between July 2015 and February 2020, 21 patients who developed UR among 5820 births in the Mogadishu Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Somalia were examined. Those without a history of caesarean section, patients with uterine scar dehiscence without symptoms, and gestational age <28 weeks were excluded. Clinical and laboratory data and thoracoabdominal CTs of the patients were evaluated retrospectively from electronic records.
Results:The mean maternal age of 15 patients included in the study was 25.06±5.46 (range 18-32) years. There were one caesarean history in 9 (60%) patients and two caesarean section history in 6 (40%) patients. The mean time between two births was 14.57±3.35 (range 11-19) months. None of the patients had antenatal care (ANC) follow-up. In 2 (13.3%) patients who developed fetal and maternal mortality, it was determined that the fetus was born into the peritoneal cavity in these 2 patients. The mean duration of admission to the hospital after vaginal delivery was 16.6±1.99 days. The hospitalization period of 8 (53.3%) patients admitted to the postoperative intensive care unit was 2.26±3.10 (in the range of 2-8) days, and the mean hospitalization time of all patients was 13.13±4.13 days. 8 (53.3%) patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy. In CTs of 13 (86.6%) patients, uterine wall defect and peritonitis detected in 13 of them (100%), intraabdominal abscess detected in 11 of them (84.6%), acid detected in 10 of them (76.9%), air in the uterine cavity, paralytic ileus and pneumonia detected in 8 of them (61.5%), pleural effusion detected in 5 of them (38.4%), and splenic infarction detected in 1 of them (7.6%).
Conclusion:The prevalence of pregnant women without ANC follow-up is high in underdeveloped countries such as Somalia. It is necessary to start antenatal follow-up early, especially in those who are planned VBAC, and this procedure should be done in equipped centers. Furthermore, we believe in the necessity of performing CT, which is fast and reliable for all patients, in terms of evaluating complications, finding correct diagnosis, and treatment management in patients with delayed UR.