Morphological changes of the spiral arteries in the placental bed in relation to pre-eclampsia and fetal growth retardation.
The spiral arteries at the level of the decidual-myometrial junction in the placental bed were examined histologically in 93 biopsies. Of these, 23 originated from normal uncomplicated pregnancies, 30 from pre-eclamptic and 40 from otherwise complicated pregnancies. The association of the "physiological changes' of the spiral artery with uncomplicated pregnancy and their absence in pre-eclampsia, as noted by Brosens and others, has been confirmed. In addition, in pregnancies without pre-eclampsia, these changes were significantly more often absent with fetal growth retardation. The hypothesis is put forward that hypertension of pregnancy is a compensatory mechanism to ensure an adequate blood supply to the placenta when the "physiological changes' fail to occur.
D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000473:pathology