Placental Disorders Services

Our Placental Disorders Program team at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford uses advanced diagnostics, multidisciplinary expertise, and proven surgical protocols if you have a high-risk and complex condition such as placenta previa, accreta, increta, or percreta, to ensure that you have a safe birth.

And because Packard Children’s Hospital neighbors Stanford Hospital (the adult hospital), we can provide the highest level of coordinated care and quality care to both you and your baby before, during, and after birth.

Placental Disorders Program key services

Thorough clinical evaluation

We believe that complete evaluations are necessary in order to validate suspected placental disorders. We assess you in a highly systematic way, including ultrasound evaluations.

• Placental attachment disorders are easily over- or underdiagnosed. We ensure that ultrasounds are done with the utmost attention to quality using precise specifications in order to reach an accurate diagnosis. Our certified maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk obstetrics) specialists have vast experience in evaluating placentas.
• We also provide second opinions on ultrasounds.

Carefully orchestrated care plan

Once tests have confirmed your diagnosis, you will meet with our team members to put together an in-depth, individualized care plan. If a placental attachment disorder is suspected early in pregnancy, you will also meet with a Gynecologic Oncology specialist, if indicated, to further understand the care plan. Depending on the type and severity of the disorder, you may be admitted to the hospital prior to your delivery.

Specialized, team-based surgery

With placental attachment disorders, it’s best to always be prepared to provide you care should you suddenly need it, and our extensive team is available in case they are needed both before and during your birth or surgery. You may be hospitalized before your planned cesarean delivery and hysterectomy, and we bring in all relevant specialists to carefully monitor your condition.

• We have deep experience in preventing and reducing the risk of massive hemorrhages and have long-established protocols in place, including a well-stocked blood bank, for the cases when transfusions are needed quickly.
• We take precautions to have advanced equipment available that is useful in the case of any unexpected complications.

Care after delivery

You receive close, attentive care after surgery by highly capable experts in an intensive care unit. If your baby will need specialty medical or surgical care right after birth, having our nationally recognized Neonatal Intensive Care Unit located close to the delivery room allows for immediate access to the highest level of intensive care for your baby, should he or she need it.

Patient and family support

Our services include everything from making sure that you and your obstetrician are well-informed about your condition, to helping arrange accommodations, to providing support and compassion. If you need to relocate for close monitoring before your scheduled surgery, we offer antepartum care and/or a Ronald McDonald House. This is especially useful if you are hospitalized prior to delivery, so that your family members can be close by.

We understand the amount of stress that this condition places on you, and we can connect you with a perinatal social worker, if needed. We can also put you in touch with health care professionals at our hospital who provide spiritual care and mental health support, including counseling.

Learn about the placental attachment disorders we manage.