title: [Degree of placental maturity and histopathologic finding: clinical prospective studies of a sample of term births and premature births].
abstract: By analogy with Grannum et al.'s sonographic classification of the placenta (1979), macroscopic observation of the cut surfaces of the afterbirth enables the extent of placental segmentation to be determined and macroscopic maturity to be established in accordance with sonographic findings. Out of a total of 767 clinically-prospectively documented obstetrical cases, 674 were identified as term births and 93 as premature. For the purposes of comparison they were subdivided into two groups: term births with stage 0 to II and stage III maturity; and premature births with stage 0 to II and stage III maturity. Proceeding from this morphological classification and grouping, the clinical data, such as age of the mother, parity, gravidity, diseases during pregnancy, premature labour, type of delivery, fetal outcome, and biometric data of the newborn, as well as histologic findings regarding villous maturity, were recorded and statistically analyzed. The findings revealed no significant differences between term births with stage III maturity and those in the control group of placentas with stage 0 to II maturity and the same gestation time. Therefore, stage III maturity at term corresponds chronopathologically to a normal temporal development of fetomaternal flow units of the mature human placenta at term and does not imply any perinatological risk. Histopathologically, placentas with stage III maturity manifest a significantly advanced degree of villous maturity, with lower mean placental weight as the morphological correlate to threshold placental function, which is reflected in the clinical data of perinatological complications. Therefore, premature detection of a stage III placenta before term indicates a risk that should be kept in mind in the overall concept of prenatal monitoring parameters.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Frauenklinik, Mainz, FRG.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höckel
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Friese
mesh_terms: D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000473:pathology; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography
vernacular_title: Plazenta-Reifegrad und histopathologischer Befund: Klinisch prospektive, Untersuchungen an einem Kollektiv von Termingeburten und Frühgeburten.