[Giant chorioangioma: presentation of a case]

Placenta chorioangioma is the most frequent nontrophoblastic tumour of the placenta. Its real incidence is unknown. This incidence is reported as 1% in microscopically examined placentas and counts with clinical evidence in approximately 1:3,500 to 9,000 births. This tumour is not generally associated to maternal fetal complications, unless the tumour size surpasses a diameter of 5 cm or is near the place of umbilical cord insertion. When the tumour is big, it can complicate the pregnancy with hydramnios, postpartum bleeding, delay in the intrauterine growth, or congestive heart failure in the newborn. The clinic case belongs to a female patient, aged 23, without important antecedents. A placental tumouration, 11.6 x 9.2 x 7 cm, was detected by ultrasound to this patient in her 20th week of pregnancy. In her 24th week, she presented intense uterine activity, with uterine hypertonia, premature rupture of membranes and profuse transvaginal bleeding, which required an emergency caesarean operation, getting a female product whose weight was 670 g. The product died minutes later. The placenta histopathological study reported placental chorioangioma, which histologically matches the degenerate variety.