[Morphologic study of ultrasonic placental anomalies in the second half of pregnancy]

Fifty cases of placental lesions detected by sonography during the second half of pregnancy were pathologically investigated. Sonographic evaluation included the size of the lesion, its echogenicity on subsequent examinations and location in relation to the placental margin and umbilical cord insertions. Classical pathologic examination was performed after delivery to confirm the ultrasonographic findings. The echogenic pattern of these lesions was distinct from that of the rest of the placenta and the lesions were classified in two categories. The parenchymal lesions including 19 intervillous thrombosis, 14 caverns, 3 cases of hydatidiform changes, 2 infarcts, 1 septal cyst and one case of fibrin deposition and, the chorionic lesions including 5 subchorionic thrombosis, 3 cases of extrachorial placentas and 2 amniotic cysts. Therefore diagnostic ultrasound gives the clinician a unique opportunity to perform detailed examination of the placenta in vivo and can be an effective and non-invasive way to diagnose different types of lesions that are usually described in the post-partum by the pathologist.