[Placenta in gestational hypertension]

At an incidence of 3.2-4% world-wide, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is the most common disease of pregnancy. Since this holds a risk, not only for the mother, but also for the child, the placenta should undergo pathological-anatomical examination in every case. Pathomorphological findings can be described in the feto-maternal border zone as well as in the fetal placenta. These are not, however, specific, nor do they offer diagnostic proof. Pathomorphological findings in the feto-maternal border zone: defective invasion of the extravillous cytotrophoblast, hyperplastic arterio-/arteriolopathy, acute atherosclerosis, and fibrinoid necrosis of endothelium. Disorders of the fetal part of placenta: infarctions/fibrin deposits, obliterative angiopathy, stromal fibrosis/fibrinoid degeneration, syncytiotrophoblastic nodes (Tenney-Parker-phenomenon), and disturbances of maturation of the villi. There is a general lack of correlation between the seriousness of the disease and the morphology. The only exception in this respect are the findings in the vessels both of the placental bed and of the chronic villi. These show a high correlation with doppler sonographic findings.