title: Placental immaturity, endocardial fibroelastosis and fetal hypoxia.
abstract: We describe a term newborn who, after a normal gestational course, presented at birth with absent cardiac activity and no spontaneous breathing. Death occurred within 30 h. Autopsy revealed placental villous immaturity, multiple acute hypoxic lesions, but also chronic hypoxic lesions like endocardial fibroelastosis. This striking association of endocardial fibroelastosis and placental villous immaturity is reviewed and correlated with 2 other cases of placental villous immaturity that led to in utero death at 39 and 41 weeks of gestation. Placental villous immaturity must be suspected and looked for by both pediatricians and obstetricians in every case of stillbirth or perinatal asphyxia of unclear origin. In order to minimize the risk of recurrence in further pregnancies, elective cesarean section may be considered.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. marie-helene.perez@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boulos
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stucki
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cotting
authors.forename: Maria-Chiara
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Osterheld
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Bernardo
mesh_terms: D004695:Endocardial Fibroelastosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010929:Placentation; D011247:Pregnancy