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Chorionic villous haemorrhage is associated with retroplacental haemorrhage
E E Mooney1, A al Shunnar, M O'Regan
1Department of Pathology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Objective:
To examine the frequency of occurrence of chorionic villous haemorrhage in placentas with retroplacental haemorrhage, and to discuss the pathogenesis of these conditions.
Design:
A retrospective study using histological sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental tissue stained with haematoxylin and eosin.
Setting:
Department of Histopathology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.
Subjects:
Sixty cases of retroplacental haemorrhage, 34 cases of chorioamnionitis, and 24 histologically normal placentas.
Main Outcome Measurement:
Presence or absence of chorionic villous haemorrhage.
Results:
Chorionic villous haemorrhage was present in 31 of 60 cases of retroplacental haemorrhage (51%), one of 34 cases of chorioamnionitis (2.9%) and in no normal placentas.
Conclusions:
It is postulated that chorionic villous haemorrhage reflects a disturbance of fetal vascular dynamics and precedes retroplacental haemorrhage. Such a disturbance could trigger the events leading to abruption.