Correlation of placental pathology with prenatal ultrasound findings

Abstract

There have been recent major advances in obstetric ultrasound, regarding both improved technologies and sonographer expertise, which have resulted in changes in antenatal obstetric management. The placenta is routinely examined to some extent at the time of the second trimester fetal anomaly sonogram, timing of delivery in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction is primarily dependent on Doppler sonographic assessment of umbilical and uterine artery blood flow, and an increasing number of specific placental lesions have been described. Many non-specialist diagnostic histopathologists may be unfamiliar with these obstetric advances, but they are an increasingly common indication for submission of placentas for histological examination. Since the aims of pathological examination of the placenta are to determine the pathological basis for the clinical findings and advance understanding of the pathophysiology of pregnancy complications, this review therefore provides an overview of the most common prenatal sonographic techniques and their clinical relevance to the diagnostic pathologist, primarily focusing on conditions with specific placental implications. These range from abnormalities of placental site and cord insertion, to obstetric complications such as antepartum haemorrhage, through sonographic placental parenchymal lesions such as subchorionic and intervillous thrombi, or chorioangiomata. In addition, the pathophysiological basis of abnormal maternal and fetal maternal Doppler indices and intrauterine growth restriction are now described, being associated with decidual vasculopathy and villous changes associated with reduced intervillous blood flow respectively. Finally, rare but characteristic, sonographic appearances of villous cystic or hydropic change, may be associated with intrinsic developmental placental abnormalities such as hydatidiform mole and placental mesenchymal dysplasia, which require histological examination for their specific diagnosis.

Neonatal Acid-Base Status in Fetuses with Abnormal Vertebro- and Cerebro-Placental Ratios

“…This mismatch disorder can occur in a fetus that has already achieved enough weight not to be considered SGA. It is noteworthy to bear in mind that UA Doppler correlates only with total lumen and wall thickness of placental vessels [19] , standing for purely objective down-flow resistance data. Conversely, cerebral Doppler provides information about the fetal self-perception of the oxygenation received [20] , therefore being a reaction to fetal hypoxemia.…”

Оптимізація Методів Діагностики При Затримці Росту Плода У Вагітних.

“…Визначали антропометричні по-казники: біпарієтальний розмір (БПР), довжину стегна, лобно-потиличний розмір, середні діаметри грудної клітки і живота та співвідношення окружності голівки до окружності живота плода, співвідношення довжини стегнової кістки до окружності живота. При плацентографії оцінювали лока-лізацію плаценти, товщину її та ступінь зрілості [6,7]. Для запису кардіотокограм використовували монітор стеження за станом матері та дитини Cadence Basic і фетальний монітор Qiston BT-350 LCD.…”

“…Для аналізу кардіотокограм використовували шкалу W. Fisher та співавт., 1976. Оцінка у 8-10 балів відповідає нормальній КТГ, 5-7 балів вказують на початкові пору-шення стану плода, 4 бали і менше можуть вказувати на виражені порушення плода [7].…”

Magnetic resonance imaging of clinically stable late pregnancy bleeding: beyond ultrasound

“…Ultrasound (US) is the mainstay of fetal and placental imaging in the antepartum period [5]; however, despite constant improvements in US technology over last years, the diagnostic US sensitivity for detecting bleeding is still low and has not significantly improved [6].…”