Is there a correlation between morphological and cytogenetic findings in placental tissue from early missed abortions?

Abstract

A retrospective study of 200 missed abortions was performed to determine whether morphological criteria alone are sufficient to ascertain a chromosomal aetiology. Placental changes were classified into five morphological and four morphometric groups, according to the severity of alterations, and were then correlated with the cytogenetic data. The rate of chromosome anomalies was approximately 50% and was thus not significantly different within the groups II-V, but it was 80% in group I, which covered the most severe placental alterations, namely the partial hydatidiform moles. There was a high incidence of triploidies in group I, trisomies with obligatory early lethality in groups II and III, and X-monosomies in group III. Our findings do not support previous evidence regarding the specificity of certain villous alterations in association with chromosome aberrations. Indeed, they indicate that the placental villi may react similarly to chromosomal and non-chromosomal disturbances and that placental morphology depends on the severity and the temporal onset of the underlying disorder rather than on its type. With respect to chorionic villus samplings (CVS), this would mean that an abnormal villous structure may be suggestive for a chromosome anomaly but does not exclude a normal karyotype.

Chromosomal Anomalies in Abnormal Human Pregnancies

“…This findings is in contrast to the estimated male:female sex ratio of 1.8 or 1.3 calculated from long-term culture of chorionic villi [14,19], but it corresponds with the sex ratio of 0.7 obtained by direct preparation method of the same tissue [15]. One can say that this altered sex ratio is due to maternal cell contamination.…”

Mosaic Aneuploidy in Early Fetal Losses

“…Monosomy of autosomes is an extremely rare finding in first-trimester miscarriages accounting for 0.22-0.85% of all observed chromosomal abnormalities [Hassold et al, 1980;Guerneri et al, 1987;Rehder et al, 1989]. It is suggested that the overwhelming majority of monosomic zygotes are eliminated before implantation.…”

“…(1) meiotic errors are prevalent in the etiology of trisomies for chromosome 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, and 22; (2) mitotic errors are prevalent in the etiology of trisomies 2 and 17; Eiben et al [1990]; Griffin et al [1997]; Guerneri et al [1987]; Hassold et al [1980]; Kajii et al [1980]; Meulenbroeck and Geraedts [1982]; Minelli et al [1993]; Ohno et al [1991]; Rehder et al [1989]; Takahara et al [1977]; Warburton et al [1978].…”

Tetraploidy in Human Placenta

“…The diploid/tetraploid molar cases are not different histologically from the trip loid partial moles in our series, and correspond to group 1 according to the classification of Rehder et al [17], whereas the tetraploid non-mosaic placentas represent gradations between the hydropic abortuses and partial moles (group 2). There has been one patient who received monochemotherapeutic treatment among these partial moles.…”