[Specialised pediatric pathology service]

Leningrad Regional Children's Bureau of Pathology was established in May 1992. The program of this bureau consisted of: revealing causes of early and late abortions; assessment of ultrasound diagnosis of congenital deficiencies of fetus development and clinical assessment of chronic placental insufficiency; pathogenetic explanation of intrauterine fetuses death; prognosis of neonatal pathology; systemic analysis of dynamics of perinatal, natal and infant mortality; organisation of independant expertise of medical causes of reproductive losses. The following principles in the work of the bureau were established: 1) mass investigation of placentas of newborns; 2) use of urgent pathomorphological diagnosis which allows to present information about placentas not later than 24 hrs after the delivery; 3) complex investigation of placentas with the use of various methods; 4) systemic informational analysis of placental pathology; 5) constant updating of physicians knowledge in the field of practical placentology. Results of mass placentas investigation show a principal pathogenetic role of ascending infection in perinatal mortality in opportunistic pathogenic microflora with the development of inflammatory responses in the system mother-placenta-fetus.