The UCSF Multidisciplinary Approach to the Placenta Service (MAPS) plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of pregnancies complicated by placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders. Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders occur when the placenta attaches too strongly onto, or too deeply into, the uterine wall. Radiologists from the Abdominal Imaging/Ultrasound and Interventional Radiology sections, technologists, sonographers, and nurses in the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging are part of the large collaborative team.
Incidence of PAS disorders have increased dramatically – quadrupled since the 1980s – primarily due to the rise in rates of birth by cesarean section. Pregnancies complicated by PAS disorders can have potentially life-threatening consequences for both the mother and infant, particularly if the diagnosis of…
