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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
The 4-vessel Sampling Approach to Integrative Studies of Human Placental Physiology In Vivo
Published on: August 2, 2017
Are placental chorionic capillary nucleated red blood cell counts useful compared to umbilical cord blood tests?
Joan M McCarthy1, Enid Gilbert-Barness, John C M Tsibris
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33606, USA. jmccarth@hsc.usf.edu
Objective:
To compare measurement of fetal nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) counts in paired histologic samples of the placenta and umbilical cord bloods.
Method:
Forty-five randomly selected pregnancies had two determinations of the NRBC count. A sample of umbilical venous blood had a NRBC count measured and sections of the placenta were examined for their villous capillary NRBC counts.
Results:
Umbilical venous blood had NRBC/100 white blood cell counts ranging from 0 to 67. Paired evaluation of placental tissue had NRBC counts of 0-5 with 60% being zero compared to 8% zero counts in cord blood. There was no correlation between the paired counts (R(2) = 0.04).
Conclusion:
Umbilical cord blood provides different information on fetal NRBC count than does histologic study of the placenta.
