Periventricular leukomalacia and placental histopathologic abnormalities.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate whether there are placental histopathologic abnormalities associated with neonatal periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a major precursor of cerebral palsy.


METHODS
This is a case-control study of 167 neonates born between 23 and 34 weeks of gestation diagnosed with PVL by head ultrasonography within 6 weeks of birth, and 167 control neonates without neurologic morbidity matched by gestational age. Placentas for both case neonates and control neonates were reviewed by two perinatal pathologists who were blinded to neonatal course.


RESULTS
Neonates with PVL were significantly more likely to have positive neonatal blood (28.7%, 16.8%, P=.001) and cerebrospinal fluid (14.4%, 4.8%, P=.007) cultures. The ratio of placental weight to birth weight did not differ between groups, but neonates with PVL had significantly more chronic diffuse capsular deciduitis (20.4%, 10.8%, P=.02) and capsular decidual plasma cells (8.4%, 2.4%, P=.02). Conditional logistic regression adjusting for birth weight and the presence of multiple gestation in the identification of PVL showed a significant increase for diffuse capsular deciduitis (P=.02) and capsular decidual plasma cells (P=.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Periventricular leukomalacia has a significant but weak association with chronic diffuse capsular deciduitis and the presence of capsular decidual plasma cells, evidence of chronic infection but not histologic acute chorioamnionitis.


METHODS
II.
Maleki
Zahra
Z
From the Department of Pathology and Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Bailis
Anya J
AJ
Argani
Cynthia H
CH
Askin
Frederic B
FB
Graham
Ernest M
EM
D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003656:Decidua / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology*; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014463:Ultrasonography