title: Chorioangiomas of the placenta: sonographic and Doppler flow characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate our experience with sonography and color Doppler blood flow in the diagnosis and management of chorioangiomas of the placenta.
  
  
  METHODS
  All cases with placental chorioangiomas diagnosed in our sonography unit between 1992 and 2001 were included in the study. Sonographic and color Doppler flow characteristics were evaluated in all cases. Our cases were compared with all cases of placental chorioangiomas diagnosed antenatally by sonography published in the English literature between 1978 and 2001.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six cases of placental chorioangioma were identified antenatally, with a mean size of 6.5 cm (range, 4-13 cm). With the use of color Doppler flow, all cases of chorioangioma were shown to have either abundant blood flow or a large feeding vessel within the tumor. During follow-up, 2 cases had reduction of the intratumoral blood flow, and the outcomes were favorable. Three of our cases had delivery before 33 weeks' gestation (1 with intrauterine fetal death and 1 with termination of pregnancy). Review of the literature revealed 72 cases of antenatally diagnosed placental chorioangioma. Two thirds of the cases had dismal outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sonographic diagnosis of chorioangiomas of the placenta is feasible and necessitates close surveillance of these pregnancies because of the dismal prognosis in more than half. The addition of color Doppler flow is important in the diagnosis and antenatal follow-up of these pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaron
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zalel
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weisz
authors.forename: Ronni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gamzu
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: Bruria
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shalmon
authors.forename: Reuven
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Achiron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D021041:Placental Circulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal