Abstract
Objective We aimed to evaluate the relationship between hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin
(hCG-H) and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) in the second and third trimesters of
pregnancy.
Study Design This was a case–control study of PAS and controls. hCG-H was measured in the second
and third trimesters of pregnancy in women with pathologically confirmed cases of
PAS and in gestational age-matched controls without PAS. We compared serum hCG-H levels
in cases and controls, calculated summary statistics for diagnostic accuracy, and
used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to define an optimal cut-point
for diagnosis of PAS using hCG-H.
Results Thirty case samples and 30 control samples were evaluated for hCG-H. Mean hCG-H was
lower in the case compared with control group (7.8 ± 5.9 μg/L vs. 11.8 ± 8.8 μg/L,
p = 0.03). At an optimal cut-point for hCG-H of ≤7.6 μg/L, the sensitivity, specificity,
positive likelihood ratios, negative likelihood ratios, and area under the ROC curve
were 66.7%, 69.7%, 2.20%, 0.48%, and 0.68%, respectively.
Conclusion Hyperglycosylated hCG levels in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were
lower in patients with PAS than in controls, but hCG-H showed only modest capability
as a diagnostic test for PAS.
Keywords
hyperglycosylated hCG - biomarkers - placenta accreta spectrum - pregnancy
