Correlations of Placental Histopathology, Neonatal Outcome, and Cardiotocogram Baseline Variability and Acceleration Patterns in the Growth Restricted Preterm Population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible connections of cardiotocography (CTG) signs with neonatal outcome and placental histopathology between growth restricted preterms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Placental slides, baseline variability, and acceleration patterns of cardiotocograms, and neonatal parameters were studied retrospectively. Placental histopathological changes were diagnosed according to the Amsterdam criteria; percentage of intact terminal villi and capillarization of villi were also studied. 50 cases were analyzed: 24 were early-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR), 26 were late-onset FGR. RESULTS: Reduced baseline variability was related to poor neonatal outcome; lack of accelerations similarly had associations with poor outcomes. Maternal vascular malperfusion, avascular villi, VUE, and chorangiosis were more common in the background of reduced baseline variability and absence of accelerations. Lower percentage of intact terminal villi was significantly associated with lower umbilical artery pH, higher lactate levels, and reduced baseline variability on CTG; absence of accelerations was correlated with decreased capillarization of terminal villi. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline variability and absence of accelerations seem to be useful and reliable markers in predicting poor neonatal outcome. Maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion signs, decreased capillarization, and lower percentage of intact villi in placenta could contribute to pathologic CTG signs and poor prognosis.

Placental Pathology and Its Associations With Clinical Signs in Different Subtypes of Fetal Growth Restriction.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated placental alterations in different subtypes of fetal growth restriction (FGR) to determine any clinical associations. METHODS: FGR placentas classified according to the Amsterdam criteria were correlated with clinical findings. Percentage of intact terminal villi and villous capillarization ratio were calculated in each specimen. Correlations of placental histopathology and perinatal outcomes were studied. 61 FGR cases were studied. RESULTS: Early-onset-FGR was more often associated with preeclampsia and recurrence than late-onset-FGR; placentas from early-onset-FGR often had diffuse maternal (or fetal) vascular malperfusion and villitis of unknown etiology. Decreased percentage of intact terminal villi was associated with pathologic CTG. Decreased villous capillarization was associated with early-onset-FGR and birth weight below the second percentile. Avascular villi and infarction were more common when femoral length/abdominal circumference ratio was >0.26, and perinatal outcome was poor in this group. CONCLUSION: In early-onset-FGR and preeclamptic FGR, altered vascularization of villi may have a key role in pathogenesis, and recurrent FGR is associated with villitis of unknown etiology. There is an association between femoral length/abdominal circumference ratio >0.26 and histopathological alterations of placenta in FGR pregnancies. There are no significant differences in the percentage of intact terminal villi between different FGR subtypes by onset or recurrency.

Placental pathology of preeclampsia from a clinical point of view: Correlation between placental histopathology, clinical signs of preeclampsia and neonatal outcome.

AIM: To evaluate the associations between placental histopathology (signs of maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion, delayed villous maturation, villitis of unknown etiology) and subtypes of preeclampsia by onset, clinical aspects of the disease and neonatal outcome. METHODS: Placental slides from preeclamptic pregnancies were retrospectively reviewed according to a uniform scheme. Information regarding obstetrical anamnesis, clinical data and perinatal outcome was collected from charts, and statistical analysis was performed in order to demonstrate associations between microscopic placental alterations and different aspects of preeclampsia. RESULTS: A total of 49 cases were studied. Diffuse signs of maternal vascular malperfusion and avascular villi were more common in early-onset-preeclampsia associated with worse prognosis. Preeclampsia with fetal growth restriction had more often diffuse signs of maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion and villitis of unknown etiology. Recurring preeclampsia was associated with more common perivasculitis. Umbilical and uterine artery Doppler indices were associated with medial hypertrophy and/or acute atherosis of maternal decidual vessels. Large foci of avascular villi correlated with extent of maternal 24-h-proteinuria which itself correlated with outcome of preeclampsia. Rate of capillarisation of villi was significantly lower in case of hypertension requiring a three-drug combination of antihypertensive medications versus hypertension treated with one or two drugs, preeclampsia with growth restriction, and stillbirth versus live birth. CONCLUSIONS: Early- versus late-onset-preeclampsia showed a markedly different profile of histopathological features and perinatal outcome, reflecting their distinguished pathogenesis and prognosis; preeclampsia complicated with fetal growth restriction also had distinctive features. Qualitative and quantitative changes define placental pathology of preeclampsia.

[Fetal examination of first trimester abortions]. / Az elsó trimesterbeli vetélések morfológiai háttere.

INTRODUCTION: Rather few papers are about first trimesters pathology. The reason of this roots in the technical difficulties. The first trimesters pathology can not be separated from prenatal diagnostics. OBJECTIVES: The authors summarized the molecular basis of embryology, malformations, and published cases that had been diagnosed prenatally. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the I. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University in Budapest between 1995. and 2000. altogether sixty embryos 70 gms or smaller were examined. RESULTS: Malformations included neural tube defects, disorders of twinning, body stalk defect, chromosome aberrations, hydrops, omphalocele and gastroschisis. CONCLUSIONS: Examination of early embryos may discover many results on the fields of prenatal diagnosis and the pathomechanism of developmental abnormalities.