title: Case note descriptions of the placenta: are they worthwhile?
abstract: In 429 placentae, measurements were made of weight, diameter, shape, eccentricity of the cord and weight and length of the cord, and the results were compared with Apgar score of the infant at birth and its standardized birth weight. There was no evidence that cord eccentricity, placental shape or "thickness", or the dimensions of the cord had any significant relation to the growth of the fetus or its condition at birth. The value of routine recording of crude measurements and qualitative assessments of the placenta in case notes is questioned.
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008499:Medical Records; D009721:Nurse Midwives; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology