Lessons learnt from two women with morbidly adherent placentas and a review of literature.

Introduction: Pathologically adherent placentas occur when there is a defect of the decidua basalis, typically arising from previous caesarean section, resulting in abnormally invasive implantation of the placenta. The depth of placental invasion varies from the superficial (accreta), to transmural and possibly beyond (percreta).

Clinical Picture: We report on 2 cases, one treated "conservatively", the other with a caesarean hysterectomy, both of which led to a safe outcome for both mother and baby.

Conclusions: Management relies on accurate early diagnosis with appropriate perioperative multidisciplinary planning to anticipate and avoid massive obstetric haemorrhage at delivery.