title: Histometric investigations of placental villi in cases of unexpected fetal acidosis.
abstract: It is not unusual that, after an apparently uneventful pregnancy and birth, postpartal analysis of fetal blood unexpectedly reveals the presence of peripartal acidosis, a finding that is inexplicable on the basis of routine observation of the placenta. Using computer-assisted histometric procedures, it is possible to make a quantitative assessment with respect to the maturity and differentiation of villi, thus casting light on the functional anatomy of these structures. 89 single-birth pregnancies were grouped in accordance to the pH of blood in the umbilical artery (pre-acidosis, acidosis, non acidotic). In acidotic newborns, there is an absolute reduction in the surface area of the placenta available for fetomaternal metabolic exchange as well as a reduced surface/weight ratio largely attributable to the significantly reduced villous density. These changes lead to a compensatory increase of epithelial plates on the surface of villi and also causes a decrease in the fetomaternal diffusion distance. The application of a modern computer-assisted structural analysis helps toward clarifying the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Mainz, Fed. Rep. of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bahlmann
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Möbus
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy