[The placenta from the pediatric point of view]

The integrity of the placenta is subject to numerous pathological processes that may make it less efficient, affecting the growth and development of the fetus. Some of these processes have been pointed out to illustrate the fact that perinatal evaluation is incomplete when placental examination is absent. The understanding of many perinatal events will be facilitated when this organ has been more routinely examined and the findings correlated with materno-fetal history and infant development.