[Placental chorioangiomas diagnosed during the second trimester of pregnancy: four cases]

Placental chorioangioma is a benign vascular tumor found in about 1% of pregnancies at routine histological examination of the placenta. The large placental tumor may cause serious fetal complications. We report 4 cases of placental chorioangioma diagnosed during the second trimester. Three pregnancies with rapidly growing tumors measuring more than 4 cm led to fetal hydrops and perinatal death despite thoracocentesis and cesarean delivery at 33 weeks (1 case) and repeated amniodrainage (1 case). The only surviving infant presented with a 3.3cm tumor which grew progressively to 8 cm at 38 weeks and did not induce polyhydramnios or hydrops. Although aggressive prenatal management of placental chorioangioma has been reported using amniodrainage, intrauterine transfusions, embolization, or ligation of the tumor vessel supply, prognosis remains poor for large tumors and largely depends on fetal hemodynamic tolerance.