Absence of phosphatidylglycerol in amniotic fluid of baboons at term

Abstract

bones. Well-formed cartilage and osseous tissue were easily identified, but the soft tissue was largely resorbed with only ghosts of cells and degenerative changes present. Chorionic villi and trophoblast were not identified in the tissue, which suggested complete resorption of the placental component. Although the gestational age of this ectopic mass is difficult to determine, the extensive ossification indicates that it had progressed to at least 12 weeks before silently aborting. The time of the occurrence of the ectopic pregnancy is not known although the histologic changes suggest a process that occurred over months or years. The operative findings of the small cystic right tuboovarian mass at tubal ligation 4 years previously may have been due to the ectopic pregnancy. In addition, the 2-yeal histology of chronic pain in the right lower quadrant may have been due in part to the ectopic gestation. Differential diagnoses of cartilage and bone within a fallopian tube include dystrophic calcification, heterotopic bone formation, and teratomas in addition to retained ectopic products of conception. In this case the cartilaginous and osseous tissue had the structure and shape of fetal bones, which indicated the presence of a prior ectopic gestation.