Pathological anatomy of the placenta preeclampsia

Abstract

Placental examination is a very useful tool for
specifying the diagnosis and prognosis of maternal
vascular underperfusion and preeclampsia.
Macroscopic changes and microscopic patterns
are more obvious when preeclampsia occurs early
in the pregnancy even if histopathology is supposed to be a continuum. Some recent works
emphasize the importance not only of the placental weight but also of the rounded-shaped placental configuration as a sign of normal bed implantation and the frequency of abnormalities of these
criteria in preeclampsia. Pathological findings are
reviewed and their accuracy and specificity for
diagnosis are discussed. It is also underlined that
providing clinical aspects of the pregnancy is compulsory for placental examination and diagnosis.