Maternal Haematological Parameters and Placental and Umbilical Cord Histopathology in Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Conclusion:Maternal haematological parameters do not seem to affect neonatal outcome. Our main findings are the correlation of maternal platelet count with placental weight, the correlation of placental volume with birthweight is stronger than the correlation of placental weight with birthweight, and the correlation of umbilical artery lumen cross sectional area with neonatal weight. Mild histopathologic alterations might be present in normal pregnancies, and still sufficient fetal nutrition can be maintained. This compensatory residual of the placenta becomes insufficient when two or more pathologies are present, that is characteristic for IUGR. Further studies are needed to investigate wether these alterations are part of a fetal response to undernutrition or part of IUGR etiology.
Source: Medical Principles and Practice - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research