Horseshoe Placenta and Preterm Labour: A Case Report

Background and aim: Horseshoe placenta is a variant of ring-shaped placenta. Ring-shaped placenta is a rare anomaly seen in fewer than 1 in 6000 deliveries, which could be seen as horseshoe shape due to atrophy in a portion of the ring. This report refers to a possible relationship between the horseshoe shape placenta and preterm labor; although it has not been yet validated in the literature. In this case report we present the placenta of a 35 years-old G2L1 woman who was referred to delivery unit of Shohada Hospital in Ghouch, Iran with starting of labor pain at 34 weeks of gestation who gave birth to a live-born female baby with 6/8 APGAR score. The amniotic fluid was meconium-stained. The patient had no evidence of fever, bleeding, infection. It is concluded that due to the risks to the fetus and mother caused by horseshoe placenta, its timely diagnosis during pregnancy using ultrasound is important and leads to early detection and better management of pregnancies complicated with placental abnormalities.