Dripping menstrual flow after cesarean section – Alert for diverticulum of the uterine incision

  Post-cesarean diverticulum is a rare complication after cesarean delivery. With the increase in the rate of cesarean delivery and the increased understanding of the disease by clinicians and ultrasonographers, the number of cases diagnosed as post-cesarean diverticulum is gradually increasing. The main manifestations of diverticulosis are menstrual dripping, infertility, and in some patients, chronic lower abdominal pain or menstrual abdominal pain. The incidence of post-cesarean section diverticula is 4% to 9%. Most patients have no clinical symptoms unless there is significant incisional diverticulum formation. The causes of diverticula are: 1) the cesarean incision is located in the lower part of the uterus, the edge of the uterine body is thicker than the edge of the cervix, there is a difference in contraction strength between the two ends of the incision, and the resetting of the two ends with different thickness and contraction force causes diverticula formation. 2) local ischemia and the use of slow absorbing sutures may be the cause of diverticula. 3) multiple cesarean deliveries are a high risk factor for diverticula. 4) the incidence of cesarean delivery with premature rupture of fetal membranes is higher. It may be that patients with premature rupture of membranes often have infection of the amniotic membrane, which affects the healing of the cesarean incision.  Uterine diverticulum mainly manifests as menstrual dripping and infertility, some patients may have chronic lower abdominal pain or menstrual abdominal pain, which is related to local bleeding and poor drainage within the uterine diverticulum. In some patients, this can cause uterine rupture during pregnancy or delivery, endangering the life of the mother and child. Some studies have shown that large incisional diverticula tend to be more pronounced and menstrual dripping longer. Symptoms tend to occur between the return of menstruation and 6 months after cesarean section, rather than immediately after, and are thought to be related to the gradual growth of the endometrium into the diverticulum after surgery.  Uterine diverticula can be diagnosed by vaginal ultrasound (sonogram shows a near-triangular liquid dark area with clear borders in the uterine cavity at the lower part of the anterior uterine wall where the cesarean incision was made, convex to the myometrium or plasma layer, and color Doppler shows no blood flow signal in and around the dark area), MRI, hysterosalpingogram and hysteroscopy.  Treatment methods include hysteroscopic electrodes with spherical electrodes for electrocautery of dilated vessels and endometrium-like tissues. This treatment method has the advantages of short operation time and little trauma, but it is only applicable to niches with less than 80% myelomeningocele defect; and some patients have no improvement of symptoms after surgery. There are few international reports on the laparoscopic treatment of diverticula with uterine incision after cesarean section. There are reports of high efficiency of combined hysterolaparoscopic repair of diverticula with significant improvement of patient symptoms. In conclusion, the causes of post-cesarean diverticulum are unclear, and the risk factors for its occurrence are recurrent cesarean delivery and premature rupture of membranes, and attention should be paid to the closure of the incision during recurrent cesarean delivery. Combined hysterolaparoscopic surgery to repair diverticulum of the uterine incision is highly efficient and can significantly improve the patient’s symptoms.