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Bicornuate Uterus

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Congenital Müllerian Anomalies

Abstract

The bicornuate uterus is a type of congenital uterine anomaly that occurs due to a lateral fusion defect of the müllerian ducts during embryologic development. This results in several anatomic variations including partial or complete divisions between the endometrial cavities, single or duplicated cervices, and associated vaginal anomalies. Women with a bicornuate uterus may be identified at the time of pregnancy, during evaluation of poor obstetrical outcomes or during evaluation of an obstructing or nonobstructing vaginal anomaly, but many women are asymptomatic and remain undiagnosed. Evaluating women with a possible uterine anomaly requires a detailed history and physical examination. In addition, appropriate imaging is necessary in order to differentiate the bicornuate uterus from other uterine anomalies. Furthermore, women with uterine anomalies commonly warrant imaging of the urinary tract to assess for associated anomalies. For women with a bicornuate uterus, conception does not appear to be affected; however, there is an increased risk of obstetrical complications such as recurrent pregnancy loss, preterm labor, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption, and cervical incompetence. Surgical intervention with the Strassman metroplasty or cervical cerclage should be considered in select women with a history of recurrent poor obstetrical outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Women’s Reproductive Care, 1790 Broadway, 4th floor, New York, NY, 10019, USA

    Lauren Zakarin Safier M.D.

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, 622 West 168th Street, PH 16-127, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Beth W. Rackow M.D.

Authors
  1. Lauren Zakarin Safier M.D.
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  2. Beth W. Rackow M.D.
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Correspondence to Beth W. Rackow M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA

    Samantha M. Pfeifer

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Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Zakarin Safier, L., Rackow, B.W. (2016). Bicornuate Uterus. In: Pfeifer, S. (eds) Congenital Müllerian Anomalies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27231-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27231-3_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27229-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27231-3

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