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[Relationship of abnormal umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms and placental pathology]
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guang Dong Provincial People's Hospital, Guang Zhou 510080, China.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship of abnormal umbilical artery (UmA) flow velocity waveforms (FVWS) with placental weight, volume and all classes of villi and vessels.
Methods:
Ten IUGR with abnormal umbilical artery(AA) were set as pathological group. Ten normal weight births with abnormal UmA FVWS(AN), 10 IUGR with normal UmA FVWS (NA), 10 normal weight births with normal UmA FVWS (NN) were selected as controls. Anti-alpha-SMA antibody was used to examine placental stem vessels and stem villi. The placental weight, volume, numbers of all classes of villi and vessels were compared.
Results:
(1) Placental weight and volume in pathological group reduced significantly, while compared with AN (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively), NA (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively), and NN (all the P values < 0.001). (2) When the pathological group was compared with other 3 control groups with respect to the numbers of all classes of villi and vessels in placenta, the number of stem vessels reduced significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001 respectively). The number of stem villi reduced significantly, compared with NA and NN (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively). The number of stem villi did not change when compared with AN (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Abnormal UmA FVWS is related with placental weight, volume, all classes of villi and vessels. The reduction of villous and vascular number may be due to arrest of placental angiogenesis but not selective obliteration of vessels.