[Morphometric studies of the histologically classified chorionic villi of human placentas]

The ratio between surfaces of mature and immature villi of 74 human placentae (17 from premature births and 57 from births on term) was morphometrically determined. The number of histologically classified chorionic villi was recorded, as well. The smallest surface and numbers of mature villi were recorded with significance from premature births and from hypotrophic newborns below the tenth weight percentile. The number of mature villi was found to grow continuously within a "transitional class" (tenth to 25th percentile) up to eutrophic newborns. This trend, however, was not recordable from immature villi. The diagnostic pattern recommended for routine examinations is based on numerical determination of so-called "mature normal villi".