Intraplacental Hepatic Heterotopia

Background: Placental hepatic heterotopia is a benign lesion with unclear histogenesis hypothesized to be of hepatocytic differentiation of yolk sac elements. Of the 14 hepatic heterotopia cases previously reported, 12 cases occurred in preterm labor.Case report: A case of intraplacental hepatic heterotopia in a 27-year-old female with pre-term delivery at 31 + 5 weeks gestational age is described. Histopathological examination revealed a well-demarcated lesion with cohesive, monotonous cells and pale to clear cytoplasm. The differential diagnoses of this lesion included benign, primary and metastatic malignant entities. The lesional cells expressed HepPar-1, CAM 5.2, Glypican-3, and AFP, consistent with cells of hepatic origin.Conclusion: Intraplacental hepatic heterotopia is associated with premature labor. Distinguishing this lesion from maternal and fetal malignancies with similar histopathological presentation has important clinical implications in patient care.