Relaxin and Placental Volume in Placenta Accreta Spectrum

January 29, 2025 updated by: Başakşehir Çam & Sakura City Hospital

Evaluation of Relaxin and Placental Volume in Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders: A Case-Control Study

This retrospective case-control study investigated the potential role of circulating relaxin levels and estimated placental volumes (EPV) in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders. It compared these parameters in patients diagnosed with PAS versus healthy controls.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study aimed to compare relaxin levels in umbilical cord and peripheral blood and estimated placental volumes (EPV) between PAS cases and controls. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate relaxin levels and EPV among PAS subtypes (accreta, increta, and percreta).A retrospective case-control study was conducted at a tertiary referral center, analyzing data from January 2022 to December 2022.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • İstanbul, Turkey
        • Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consisted of two groups. Following retrospective investigation of patients operated in our clinic between 01.01.2022 and 01.12.2022, the case group included 20 patients diagnosed with PAS disorders, suspected with clinical and imaging findings, confirmed through histopathological findings. These patients had undergone elective cesarean hysterectomy and met inclusion criteria aged between 18 and 45 years and availability of complete medical records. Due to ethical considerations, 4 patients diagnosed with PAS who underwent emergency surgery because of vaginal bleeding and 14 patients operated with segmentary resections were excluded from the study to compose more homogenous study cohort for the measurement of EPV. The control group consisted of 20 healthy pregnant women who underwent the first planned cesarean section of the day, without any obstetric complications, on the same days when planned PAS cesarean-hysterectomy cases were performed in 2022.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Women aged 18-45 years Confirmed histopathological diagnosis of PAS (case group) Complete medical records Healthy pregnant women undergoing cesarean delivery (control group)

Exclusion Criteria:

Multifetal gestation Emergency surgeries Incomplete medical records

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Placenta Accreta Spectrum Group
  • 20 patients diagnosed with PAS, confirmed through histopathological findings post-cesarean hysterectomy
  • Blood and placental tissue analyzed for relaxin levels and placental volume
  • Subgroup analysis based on PAS severity (accreta, increta, percreta)
The primary source of relaxin in pregnancy is the corpus luteum, but it is also produced in other tissues, such as the decidua and placenta. Importantly, relaxin's pleiotropic effects include endothelial-dependent vasodilation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and potential contributions to placental development. These properties make relaxin a molecule of interest in the context of PAS disorders, where abnormal placental invasion may reflect disruptions in vascular and extracellular matrix regulation. Additionally, recent findings have indicated altCirculating relaxin levels were assessed before routinely storing maternal venous blood and umbilical cord arterial blood samples are anelyzed. This study aimed to compare relaxin levels in umbilical cord and peripheral blood and estimated placental volumes (EPV) between PAS cases and controls. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate relaxin levels and EPV among PAS subtypes (accreta, increta, and percreta).
Control Group (No PAS Pathology with Elective Cesarean Section)
  • 20 healthy pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section
  • Blood and placental volume assessed
The primary source of relaxin in pregnancy is the corpus luteum, but it is also produced in other tissues, such as the decidua and placenta. Importantly, relaxin's pleiotropic effects include endothelial-dependent vasodilation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and potential contributions to placental development. These properties make relaxin a molecule of interest in the context of PAS disorders, where abnormal placental invasion may reflect disruptions in vascular and extracellular matrix regulation. Additionally, recent findings have indicated altCirculating relaxin levels were assessed before routinely storing maternal venous blood and umbilical cord arterial blood samples are anelyzed. This study aimed to compare relaxin levels in umbilical cord and peripheral blood and estimated placental volumes (EPV) between PAS cases and controls. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate relaxin levels and EPV among PAS subtypes (accreta, increta, and percreta).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Circulating relaxin (RLN2) levels in peripheral and umbilical cord blood
Time Frame: 11 months
The primary source of relaxin in pregnancy is the corpus luteum, but it is also produced in other tissues, such as the decidua and placenta. Importantly, relaxin's pleiotropic effects include endothelial-dependent vasodilation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and potential contributions to placental development. These properties make relaxin a molecule of interest in the context of PAS disorders, where abnormal placental invasion may reflect disruptions in vascular and extracellular matrix regulation. Additionally, recent findings have indicated altered expression of relaxin, its receptor RXFP1, and insulin-like peptide 4 (INSL4) in PAS cases, suggesting potential roles in its pathogenesis.
11 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
placental volume
Time Frame: 11 months
Placental volume, assessed through imaging modalities, has been explored as a potential biomarker for abnormal placental development, including PAS. Studies have demonstrated that larger placental volumes may be associated with invasive placentation, suggesting a correlation between placental growth patterns and PAS severity.
11 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 29, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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