Fetal Lesions Research Articles

Macroscopic and histopathological description of gastric lesions in horse, donkey, and mule fetuses in the last trimester of gestation.

Limited information is available on gastric diseases in neonatal foals as compared with extensive studies in young, adult, and geriatric horses. Reports on fetuses are scarce. Assess at necropsy stomachs of horse, donkey and mule fetuses in the third trimester of gestation to characterize lesions present during intrauterine life. Forty-six fetal stomachs from both sexes (21 horses, 21 donkeys, and 4 mules) in the third trimester of gestation were collected from a processing plant immediately after slaughter. Measurements of longitudinal and transverse axes, weight and volume and gastric fluid pH were taken, and glandular and squamous mucosae were inspected. All findings of the gastric mucosa and measurements of the stomachs were presented descriptively. Groups were compared statistically, with significance level set at P < .05 for all evaluations. All gastric contents had pH >5.8, and mules had larger stomachs and higher weights compared with horses (P < .05). Macroscopic lesions were classified as hyperemic, punctate, and erosive. Histopathologically, lesions were consistent with a chronic inflammatory process. Our study provides evidence of macroscopic and histopathological lesions in the gastric mucosae of equid fetuses in the last trimester of gestation. Relevant information for perinatology and neonatology is provided regarding the prevalence and classification of preulcerous lesions in equids before birth.

Diagnostic Dilemmas in Fetal Scalp Cystic Lesions: A Case Series

AbstractFetal Scalp cystic lesions are occasionally encountered during the routine mid trimester scan. Some may be benign scalp cysts like an epidermal or dermal cyst, and some may contain neural tissue with associated calvarial defects like meningocele or encephalocele. Prenatally, differentiating them and arriving at an exact diagnosis is challenging. This case study describes seven cases diagnosed with fetal scalp cysts and normal intracranial anatomy. Seven cases with normal intracranial anatomy were included. Out of seven cases, four turned out to be scalp cysts, two turned out to be meningocele, and one was atretic encephalocele. Of four cases of scalp cysts, three regressed spontaneously and one required surgical excision. All instances of meningocele and encephalocele required surgical correction. In the case of fetal scalp cystic lesions, the presence of normal intracranial anatomy and head circumference, the absence of other associated anomalies, and the use of high frequency ultrasound transducers to rule out calvarial defects can aid in delineating the diagnosis of benign fetal scalp cysts.

The spectrum of infections identified in pregnant women with different types of fetal growth restriction

BACKGROUND: Bacterial, viral and protozoal infections can cause miscarriage, antenatal death, congenital organ abnormalities or other limited consequences depending on the pathogen. The role of infection processes identified during pregnancy on placental pathology and fetal growth restriction. AIM: The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of infections identified in pregnant women with different types of fetal growth restriction, as well as to assess a potential impact of identified infections on the outcomes of fetal growth restriction in newborns in the same groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of outcomes for 394 pregnant women with an established diagnosis of fetal growth restriction, who had given birth from 2018 to 2022 in the Perinatal Center of the Arkhangelsk Regional Clinical Hospital. Maternal and neonatal case histories were obtained using a continuous sampling method. Considering the transition to new criteria for establishing the diagnosis of fetal growth restriction in Russia, we formed four study groups, of which only 139 cases met the Delphi criteria of clinical guidelines by Russian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2021. In the selected groups, we analyzed the results of microscopic and microbiological tests of various localizations in mothers during antepartum examination, as well as postpartum examination of the placenta and culture tests in newborns in their relation to adverse outcomes. RESULTS: A high prevalence (25–70.4%) of positive bacteriological findings was revealed in all of the study groups. The frequency was highest in the group of pregnant women with fetal growth restriction before 32 weeks (90–92%). Combined infections (two or more localizations) were noted in 59.2% of pregnant women in groups with early fetal growth restriction compared to 23.3% in late fetal growth restriction groups. In all cases, we observed a direct relationship between the severity of fetal growth restriction and the prevalence of infections. The range of infections identified during routine examination of pregnant women is quite limited; Candida spp. (from 40.8% in the control group to 75% in the comparison group), Escherichia coli (from 22.9 to 33.3%, respectively), and Chlamydia trachomatis (from 4.5 to 23.5%, respectively) being identified most commonly. In a morphological study of the placenta, infectious and inflammatory lesions were the most significant and ranged from 100 to 81.4% of cases in groups with early and late fetal growth restriction, respectively, with signs of hematogenous transmission prevailed. When analyzing infectious lesions in fetuses, we have found the presence of three and more localizations of the infectious process in 90 to 45% of cases with a fatal outcome for early and late fetal growth restriction, respectively. In the control groups, similar rates were 40 and 15.8%. When assessing the distribution of various types of infectious process in newborns, Candida spp., Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecalis also took the lead in all cases. However, the percentage of the same etiology of maternal and neonatal infections turned out to be very low (from 0 to 31% for individual pathogens), which makes it difficult to apply preventive treatment during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Authors identified indirect but numerous signs of significant involvement of infectious processes in the development of fetal growth restriction, especially its early type, as well as the influence of infections on the outcomes for such newborns. In most cases, infectious processes during pregnancy are subclinical. Current screening of pregnant women is insufficient to identify high-risk groups. Examination of pregnant women for infections carried out by culture tests provide low-component and, most likely, incomplete information.

Interaction between clinicians and artificial intelligence to detect fetal atrioventricular septal defects on ultrasound: how can we optimize collaborative performance?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown promise in improving the performance of fetal ultrasound screening in detecting congenital heart disease (CHD). The effect of giving AI advice to human operators has not been studied in this context. Giving additional information about AI model workings, such as confidence scores for AI predictions, may be a way of further improving performance. Our aims were to investigate whether AI advice improved overall diagnostic accuracy (using a single CHD lesion as an exemplar), and to determine what, if any, additional information given to clinicians optimized the overall performance of the clinician-AI team. An AI model was trained to classify a single fetal CHD lesion (atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD)), using a retrospective cohort of 121 130 cardiac four-chamber images extracted from 173 ultrasound scan videos (98 with normal hearts, 75 with AVSD); a ResNet50 model architecture was used. Temperature scaling of model prediction probability was performed on a validation set, and gradient-weighted class activation maps (grad-CAMs) produced. Ten clinicians (two consultant fetal cardiologists, three trainees in pediatric cardiology and five fetal cardiac sonographers) were recruited from a center of fetal cardiology to participate. Each participant was shown 2000 fetal four-chamber images in a random order (1000 normal and 1000 AVSD). The dataset comprised 500 images, each shown in four conditions: (1) image alone without AI output; (2) image with binary AI classification; (3) image with AI model confidence; and (4) image with grad-CAM image overlays. The clinicians were asked to classify each image as normal or AVSD. A total of 20 000 image classifications were recorded from 10 clinicians. The AI model alone achieved an accuracy of 0.798 (95% CI, 0.760-0.832), a sensitivity of 0.868 (95% CI, 0.834-0.902) and a specificity of 0.728 (95% CI, 0.702-0.754), and the clinicians without AI achieved an accuracy of 0.844 (95% CI, 0.834-0.854), a sensitivity of 0.827 (95% CI, 0.795-0.858) and a specificity of 0.861 (95% CI, 0.828-0.895). Showing a binary (normal or AVSD) AI model output resulted in significant improvement in accuracy to 0.865 (P < 0.001). This effect was seen in both experienced and less-experienced participants. Giving incorrect AI advice resulted in a significant deterioration in overall accuracy, from 0.761 to 0.693 (P < 0.001), which was driven by an increase in both Type-I and Type-II errors by the clinicians. This effect was worsened by showing model confidence (accuracy, 0.649; P < 0.001) or grad-CAM (accuracy, 0.644; P < 0.001). AI has the potential to improve performance when used in collaboration with clinicians, even if the model performance does not reach expert level. Giving additional information about model workings such as model confidence and class activation map image overlays did not improve overall performance, and actually worsened performance for images for which the AI model was incorrect. © 2024 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Clinical Significance of the Large Fetal Vessel Lesions in Placental Fetal Vascular Malperfusion

Fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) is an important pattern of placental injury. Although the significance of distal villous FVM (clusters of sclerotic and/or mineralized chorionic villi) is well documented, the clinical significance of proximal (large vessel) lesions of FVM is less clear, which is the aim of this retrospective analysis. To evaluate the clinical significance and placental associations of single and coexisting categories of lesions of large vessel FVM, 24 clinical and 44 placental phenotypes of 804 consecutive placentas with at least 1 lesion of proximal vessel FVM from the second half of pregnancy, divided according to the type or category of the individual FVM lesion (fetal vascular ectasia, fetal vascular thrombi, intramural fibrin deposition, and stem vessel obliteration): 689, 341, 286, and 267 placentas, respectively (first analysis) and single or coexisting large fetal vessel lesions (1, 2, 3, and 4 coexisting categories of lesions: 276, 321, 162, and 45 placentas, respectively) were statistically compared (analysis of variance, χ2, univariate analysis). Because of multiple comparisons, Bonferroni-corrected P < .001 was used as a threshold of statistical significance. In this population of high-risk pregnancies dominated by fetal congenital anomalies, single individual or 1 to 2 coexisting categories of lesions of the large vessel FVM, including fetal vascular thrombi, did not consistently correlate with clinical or placental variables and were not prognostically useful, but the coexistence of 3 or 4 lesions was associated with the most advanced gestational age, fetal congenital anomalies, distal villous FVM, particularly high-grade, chorangioma or chorangiomatosis, hypercoiled umbilical cord, perivascular stem edema, and marginate or vallate placenta. Therefore, the finding of multiple lesions of the large vessel FVM not only merits a diligent search for the distal villous lesions including the CD34 immunostaining, but also justifies putting the large vessel (global) FVM on the final placental diagnosis line, which in the case of up to only 2 lesions may not be justified.

Perinatal Management of Pregnancies with Fetal Congenital Anomalies: A Guide to Obstetricians and Pediatricians.

Congenital anomalies are responsible for approximately 20% of all neonatal deaths worldwide. Improvements in antenatal screening and diagnosis have significantly improved the prenatal detection of birth defects; however, these improvements have not translated into the improved neonatal prognosis of babies born with congenital anomalies. An attempt has been made to summarise the prenatal interventions, if available, the optimal route, mode and time of delivery and discuss the minimum delivery room preparations that should be made if expecting to deliver a fetus with a congenital anomaly. The recent literature related to the perinatal management of the fetus with prenatally detected common congenital anomalies was searched in English peer-reviewed journals from the PubMed database to work out an evidence-based approach for their management. Fetuses with prenatally detected congenital anomalies should be delivered at a tertiary care centre with facilities for neonatal surgery and paediatric intensive care if needed. There is no indication for preterm delivery in the majority of cases. Only a few congenital malformations, like highrisk sacrococcygeal teratoma, congenital lung masses with significant fetal compromise, fetal cerebral lesions or neural tube defects with Head circumference >40 cm or the biparietal diameter is ≥12 cm, gastroschisis with extracorporeal liver, or giant omphaloceles in the fetus warrant caesarean section as the primary mode of delivery. The prognosis of a fetus with congenital anomalies can be significantly improved if planning for delivery, including the place and time of delivery, is done optimally. A multidisciplinary team should be available for the fetus to optimize conditions right from when it is born.

Pathological Alterations Induced by Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles in Pregnant Mice and Their Embryos

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nickel oxide nanoparticles on pregnant mice and fetal development. Nickel oxide nanoparticles (&lt;50 nm) were injected intraperitoneally (1, 10, 20 mg/kg) in pregnant mice daily from the 7th -18th gestation day. At the 18th gestation day, the mice were euthanized, necropsied, and pathological examination of the mice and their embryos was done. Exposure to the nickel nanoparticles induced an increase (low and medium doses) and a decrease (high dose) in the activity of the mice. Abortion was recorded at the rates 10%, 20%, and 30% in groups treated with doses of 1, 10, and 20 mg/kg, respectively. Fetal malformations were noted at rates of 60%, 70%, and 75%, for the doses 1, 10, and 20 mg/kg, respectively. They included arrested growth, absence of the extremities, C-shaped fetuses, anencephalon, myelocele, exophthalmia, spina bifida, absence of facial details, absence or deformities of the tail, micromelia, cyanotic skin, abdominal hemorrhages, and meningocele. Microscopically, degenerative, necrotic, circulatory, and inflammatory lesions in the kidneys, liver, lungs, brain, and heart were noted in pregnant mice. In the embryos, there was incomplete growth of the renal, nervous, and pulmonary tissues. Additionally, there were degenerative, necrotic, and circulatory changes in the kidneys, liver, brain, lungs and heart. It was concluded that exposure to intraperitoneally administered nickel oxide nanoparticles (&lt;50 nm) induces abortion and toxic lesions in the kidneys, liver, brain, lungs and heart of pregnant mice; and fetal malformations and pathological lesions in the embryos.

Placental Histopathological Lesions and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases- A retrospective Cohort Study.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are significantly associated with adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, though the pathomechanism is yet unknown. To investigate the relationship between IBD and adverse pregnancy outcomes by comparing neonatal outcomes and placental histopathology in two matched groups of patients with and without IBD. In this retrospective study, data of all patients who gave birth between 2008-2021 and were diagnosed with IBD were reviewed and compared to a control group matching two control cases for every IBD case. Neonatal outcomes and placental pathology were compared between the groups. Compared to the control group (n=76), the placentas of patients with IBD (n=36) were characterized by significantly lower placental weight (p < 0.001), and higher rates of maternal vascular malperfusion lesions (MVM, p < 0.001) and maternal and fetal inflammatory response lesions (p < 0.001). Neonates of patients with IBD were more frequently small for gestational age (SGA) (p=0.01), with increased rates of need for phototherapy (p = 0.03), respiratory morbidity and NICU admission (p < 0.001 for both outcomes). Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusting for possible confounders (including maternal age, gestational age, chronic hypertension, smoking, and thrombophilia) confirmed the independent association between IBD and composite MVM lesions (aOR 4.31, p < 0.001), maternal inflammatory responses (aOR 40.22, p < 0.001) and SGA infants (aOR 4.31, p = 0.013). IBD is associated with increased rates of placental histopathological lesions and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including SGA infants. These novel findings imply the role of placental malperfusion and inflammatory processes in pregnancy complications of IBD patients, which should be followed accordingly. Approval of local ethics committee # WOMC-0219-20.

Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke: how informative is the placenta?

Neuroplacentology is an expanding field of interest that addresses the placental influence on fetal and neonatal brain lesions and on further neurodevelopment. The objective of this study was to clarify the link between placental pathology and perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS). Prior publications have reported different types of perinatal stroke with diverse methodologies precluding firm conclusions. We report here the histological placental findings in a series of 16 neonates with radiologically confirmed PAIS. Findings were grouped into 3 categories of lesions: (1) inflammation, (2) placental and fetal hypoxic lesions, and (3) placentas with a high birthweight/placenta weight ratio. Matched control placentas were compared to the pathological placentas when feasible. The eight term singleton placentas were compared to a series of 20 placentas from a highly controlled amniotic membrane donation program; in three twin pregnancies, the placental portions from the affected twin and unaffected co-twin were compared. Slightly more than half (9/16, 56%) had histopathological features belonging to more than one category, a feature shared by the singleton control placentas (13/20, 65%). More severe and extensive lesions were however observed in the pathological placentas. One case occurring in the context of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis further expands the spectrum of COVID-related perinatal disease. Our study supports the assumption that PAIS can result from various combinations and interplay of maternal and fetal factors and confirms the value of placenta examination. Yet, placental findings must be interpreted with caution given their prevalence in well-designed controls.

Interdisciplinary fetal-neonatal neurology training applies neural exposome perspectives to neurology principles and practice.

An interdisciplinary fetal-neonatal neurology (FNN) program over the first 1,000 days teaches perspectives of the neural exposome that are applicable across the life span. This curriculum strengthens neonatal neurocritical care, pediatric, and adult neurology training objectives. Teaching at maternal-pediatric hospital centers optimally merges reproductive, pregnancy, and pediatric approaches to healthcare. Phenotype-genotype expressions of health or disease pathways represent a dynamic neural exposome over developmental time. The science of uncertainty applied to FNN training re-enforces the importance of shared clinical decisions that minimize bias and reduce cognitive errors. Trainees select mentoring committee participants that will maximize their learning experiences. Standardized questions and oral presentations monitor educational progress. Master or doctoral defense preparation and competitive research funding can be goals for specific individuals. FNN principles applied to practice offer an understanding of gene-environment interactions that recognizes the effects of reproductive health on the maternal-placental-fetal triad, neonate, child, and adult. Pre-conception and prenatal adversities potentially diminish life-course brain health. Endogenous and exogenous toxic stressor interplay (TSI) alters the neural exposome through maladaptive developmental neuroplasticity. Developmental disorders and epilepsy are primarily expressed during the first 1,000 days. Communicable and noncommunicable illnesses continue to interact with the neural exposome to express diverse neurologic disorders across the lifespan, particularly during the critical/sensitive time periods of adolescence and reproductive senescence. Anomalous or destructive fetal neuropathologic lesions change clinical expressions across this developmental-aging continuum. An integrated understanding of reproductive, pregnancy, placental, neonatal, childhood, and adult exposome effects offers a life-course perspective of the neural exposome. Exosome research promises improved disease monitoring and drug delivery starting during pregnancy. Developmental origins of health and disease principles applied to FNN practice anticipate neurologic diagnoses with interventions that can benefit successive generations. Addressing health care disparities in the Global South and high-income country medical deserts require constructive dialogue among stakeholders to achieve medical equity. Population health policies require a brain capital strategy that reduces the global burden of neurologic diseases by applying FNN principles and practice. This integrative neurologic care approach will prolong survival with an improved quality of life for persons across the lifespan confronted with neurological disorders.

Fetal brain lesions caused by cotyledon damage of Androctonus turkiyensis venom in pregnant rats and the protective effects of the monovalent antivenom

Fetal brain lesions caused by cotyledon damage of Androctonus turkiyensis venom in pregnant rats and the protective effects of the monovalent antivenom

Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors: A new-possible approach for in-utero medication therapy.

The mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a protein kinase that plays a crucial role in regulating cellular growth, metabolism, and survival. Although there is no absolute contraindication for the use of mTOR inhibitors during pregnancy, the specific fetal effects remain unknown. Available data from the past 2decades have examined the use of mTOR inhibitors during pregnancy in patients with solid organ transplantation, showing no clear link to fetal complications or structural abnormalities. Recently, a handful of case reports and series have described transplacental therapy of mTOR inhibitors to control symptomatic and complicated pathologies in the fetus. The effect of these agents includes a significant reduction in lesion size in the fetus and a reduced need for mechanical ventilation in neonates. In this context, we delve into the potential of mTOR inhibitors as in-utero therapy for fetal abnormalities, with a primary focus on lymphatic malformation (LM) and cardiac rhabdomyoma (CR). While preliminary reports underscore the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors for the treatment of fetal CR and fetal brain lesions associated with tuberous sclerosis complex, chylothorax, and LMs, additional investigation and clinical trials are essential to comprehensively assess the safety and efficacy of these medications.

Поражение плаценты и плода вирусом герпеса 2 типа

The review objective is to summarize the available information on herpes infection in the mother-placenta-fetus and newborn baby system. A great variety of risk factors for the transmission of HPV infection to the fetus, such as: the infection activity in the mother, the immune status of the pregnant woman, viral load during infection, etc. lead to placental and fetal lesions of different types.

Placental pathologic features in obesity

IntroductionObesity in pregnancy is associated with adverse long-term consequences both in the mother and in offspring. Maternal obesity induces a metabolic-inflammatory state that could impact on placental function and could mediate the adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare the major placental histological characteristics of non-diabetic obese women to lean controls, focusing on uncomplicated pregnancies. MethodsProspective case-control study comparing placental histopathological features between 122 non-diabetic obese women and 185 non-obese controls. The analysis was performed on overall subjects, then uncomplicated pregnancies from both groups were analyzed. Placenta pathologic findings were recorded according to standard classification. ResultsBoth in overall analysis and among the subset of subjects with an uncomplicated pregnancy, obese subjects had higher risks of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) (respectively OR=2.2, 95%CI =1.3–3.7 and OR=4.2, 95%CI=2.1–8.5), fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) (respectively OR=6.3, 95%CI=3.1–12.5 and OR=7.2, 95%CI=3–17.2), maternal and fetal inflammatory response placental lesions and villitis (VUE) (respectively OR=2.5, 95%CI=1.1–5.6 and OR=10.8, 95%CI=3.3–35.3) compared to controls. Among uncomplicated pregnancies and after adjustment for confounders, first trimester BMI was significantly associated with overall MVM, overall FVM, maternal inflammatory, fetal inflammatory response and VUE. DiscussionPlacentas from obese women showed a significantly higher risk of maternal and fetal vascular and inflammatory placental lesions, both in overall population and in the subgroup with uncomplicated pregnancies. The metabolic and inflammatory dysfunctions typical of obesity could have an impact on placental development and function, which could be a mediator of the detrimental effects of obesity on pregnancy outcome and on future health of the offspring.

Placental Histopathologic Findings in the Setting of Prenatally Diagnosed Major Congenital Heart Disease

Objectives: Studies suggest an association between placenta and congenital heart disease (CHD). We evaluated placental pathologies associated with major CHD. Methods: A prospective study included fetuses with major CHD, identified by fetal echocardiography. Fetal Doppler of umbilical artery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and placental histopathology were assessed. Outcome was measured by mortality at one month of age. Results: 21 cases were analyzed. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome was the commonest lesion (23.8%). Significant differences were detected among categories regarding MCA systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio & pulsatility index (p = 0.023; 0.036), respectively. Placental histopathologies were demonstrated in 18(85.7%), predominately involved fetal malperfusion lesions 16/21(76.2%), especially chorangiosis (33.3%). No significant association was detected between placental histopathological abnormalities and Doppler parameter, diagnostic category, or mortality. Conclusion: The high prevalence of abnormal placental histopathological findings in major fetal CHD provides additional evidence of placental-cardiac interlinkage. No association was detected between abnormal placental histopathology and fetal Doppler measurements or neonatal outcome of CHD.

EP10.06: Prenatal sonographic evaluation of fetal adrenal lesions: a challenging differential diagnosis

EP10.06: Prenatal sonographic evaluation of fetal adrenal lesions: a challenging differential diagnosis

Fetal growth restriction, neonatal morbidity and placental pathology in dichorionic twins-a comparison of twin-specific versus singleton growth charts‏‏

IntroductionFetal growth restriction (FGR) in dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin gestations is a known complication associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. The international guidelines have no consensus on whether to use singleton or twin-specific growth charts. Thus, we aimed to compare growth charts in correlation with pregnancy outcomes and placental histopathology. MethodsThe medical files of all DCDA twin deliveries between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Birthweight percentile for gestational age (GA) for each individual neonate was assigned using the updated local singleton and twin-specific growth chart. We then divided the study population into two groups, neonates that were FGR based on the local singleton charts (FGR-singleton group) versus FGR on both twin-specific and singleton charts (FGR-twin group). Placental lesions were classified as lesions related to maternal or fetal malperfusion lesions (MVM, FVM), vascular and villous changes, and inflammatory lesions. ResultsOverall, 185 neonates met the inclusion criteria. The FGR-twin group (59/185) had a higher rate of PE, lower GA at delivery, lower birthweight, and a higher rate of neonatal composite adverse outcomes compared to the FGR-singleton group. Moreover, placental pathology of the FGR-twin group demonstrated a higher rate of MVM lesions (p = 0.035). DiscussionIn our cohort, neonates considered FGR based on twin-specific charts had worse neonatal outcomes with underlying placental insufficiency demonstrated by a higher rate of placental malperfusion vascular lesions. Our findings support using a twin-specific chart to diagnose FGR that is more clinically relevant.

Morphological placental findings in women infected with SARS-CoV-2 according to trimester of pregnancy and severity of disease

IntroductionPlacental morphology findings in SARS-CoV-2 infection are considered nonspecific, although the role of trimester and severity of infection are underreported. Therefore, we aimed to investigate abnormal placental morphology, according to these two criteria. MethodsThis is an ancillary analysis of a prospective cohort study of pregnant women with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, managed in one maternity, from March 2020 to October 2021. Charting of clinical/obstetric history, trimester and severity of COVID-19 infection, and maternal/perinatal outcomes were done. Placental morphological findings were classified into maternal and fetal circulatory injury and acute/chronic inflammation. We further compared findings with women with suspected disease which tested negative for COVID-19. Diseases’ trimester of infection and clinical severity guided the analysis of confirmed COVID-19 cases. ResultsNinety-one placental discs from 85 women were eligible as a COVID-19 group, and 42 discs from 41 women in negative COVID-19 group. SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in 68.2% during third trimester, and 6.6% during first; 16.5% were asymptomatic, 61.5% non-severe and 22.0% severe symptomatic (two maternal deaths). Preterm birth occurred in 33.0% (one fetal death). Global maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) were significant in COVID-19 group whether compared with negative COVID-19 tests group; however, fetal vascular malperfusion lesions and low-grade chronic villitis were not. Three placentas had COVID-19 placentitis. Decidual arteriopathy was associated with infection in first/mid trimester, and chorangiosis in asymptomatic infections. DiscussionPlacental abnormalities after an infection by COVID-19 were more frequent after first/mid-trimester infections. Extensive placental lesions are rare, although they may be more common upon underlying medical conditions.

Placental Pathology and Its Importance in Preterm Infants

Objective We evaluated what placental pathologies were associated with adverse preterm births. Materials and methods Placental findings, classified according to the Amsterdam criteria, were correlated with infant outcomes. The fetal vascular lesions, inflammatory responses other than histological chorioamnionitis (HCA), and placentas with combined maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) and HCA were excluded. Results A total of 772 placentas were evaluated. MVM was present in 394 placentas, HCA in 378. Early neonatal sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and neonatal death occurred more often in the MVM-only group than HCA-only group. The frequency of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was 38.6% in the HCA-only group, and it was 20.3% in the MVM-only group (p < 0.001). HCA was the most important independent risk factor for BPD (OR 3.877, 95% CI 2.831–5.312). Conclusion Inflammation in the placenta influences fetal and neonatal outcomes. HCA is an independent risk factor for BPD.

Placenta previa in in vitro fertilization and unassisted pregnancies–is there a difference in perinatal outcomes and placental histology?

Introduction In-vitro-fertilization (IVF) is an independent risk factor for placenta previa (PP). Our aim was to study this link by comparing the clinical characteristics and placental histology of pregnancies complicated by PP in IVF versus unassisted pregnancies. Methods A retrospective-cohort study of deliveries with PP between 2008 and 2021. Placental histology, obstetric and neonatal outcomes were compared between IVF and unassisted pregnancies. Included, were singleton deliveries complicated by PP at gestational weeks (GA) >24. Results A total of 182 pregnancies were included − 23 IVF pregnancies (IVF group) and 159 unassisted pregnancies (Control group). The control group was characterized by higher gravidity (p = .007) and parity (p < .001) and a trend of more past cesarean deliveries, whereas the IVF group- by a higher rate of nulliparity (p < .001) and diabetes mellitus (p = .04). The control group was characterized by a higher rate of placental weight below the 10th percentile (47.8 versus 13.9%, p = .001) and by a trend of a lower overall placental weight. No differences were noted in maternal and fetal vascular lesions. Discussion While PP in non-assisted pregnancies is probably associated with previous CDs, in IVF it is more “sporadic,” and may complicate any index pregnancy. A lower placental weight was more prevalent in the control group, supporting the concept that pregnancies complicated by PP following IVF can be attributed to initial abnormal location of placentation, rather than an underlying pathological uterine segment of implantation. Nevertheless, IVF and unassisted pregnancies entail similar perinatal outcomes in cases of PP.