Placental lakes on sonographic examination: correlation with obstetric outcome and pathologic findings

The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy outcome and pathologic findings in cases of placental lake visualized on sonography in pregnancies without concurrent fetal or maternal disease.

Placental aspect was evaluated sonographically in 4,106 singleton pregnancies without maternal or fetal disease at between 15 and 34 weeks3 gestation. Fifty-nine cases presenting with placental lakes were followed through the end of pregnancy. Obstetric outcome was compared with that of cases with sonographically normal placental aspects (n=37). Macroscopic and microscopic examinations for pathology were also performed in a few cases in both groups.

Placental lakes were present in 2.2% (92/4,106) of the cases. No statistically significant difference was observed in birth weight, gestational age at delivery, adverse obstetric outcome, and macroscopic or microscopic results between the control and study groups.

Our findings do not seem to indicate an increase in the risk for an adverse pregnancy outcome in cases presenting with placental lakes.