Placental histopathology in preterm fetal growth restriction

Arvind Sehgal*, Jane E. Dahlstrom, Yuen Chan, Beth J. Allison, Suzanne L. Miller, Graeme R. Polglase

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Aims: Approximately 6–9% pregnancies are affected by fetal growth restriction (FGR). Placental alterations related to utero-placental insufficiency in FGR may induce placental vascular remodelling to the detriment of the fetus. The objective of this article was to study histopathological features of placentae in a cohort of preterm growth-restricted infants in comparison to a cohort of preterm appropriately grown infants. Methods: In a cohort of 40 preterm infants of 28–32 weeks' gestation, placental histopathology was evaluated by a histopathologist, who was blinded to the identity of the grouping. Twenty infants had FGR, while 20 were appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Predefined histopathological characteristics were assessed based on the Amsterdam Placental Workshop Group Consensus Statement. Results: The gestational age and birthweight of the FGR and AGA cohorts were 29.8 ± 1.3 versus 30 ± 0.9 weeks, P = 0.78 and 923 ± 168 versus 1403 ± 237 g, <0.001, respectively. Maternal vascular malperfusion, accelerated villous maturation and fetal vascular malperfusion were features that were significantly more common in FGR placentae. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, specific placental histopathological changes may be present in FGR placentae, which may reflect the effects of utero-placental insufficiency.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)582-587
    Number of pages6
    JournalJournal of Paediatrics and Child Health
    Volume55
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2019

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