Abstract

PIP: In India, the Government Medical College in Patiala analyzed data on placenta with chorionic villi of 76 women who experienced 1st trimester induced abortion to determine and compare the histopathologic changes in placenta between cases (miscarriage) and controls (medical abortion). Cases had experienced a higher incidence of previous spontaneous abortion than did the controls (31.9% vs. 7/8; p .01). The same microscopic changes occurred in both groups, but they occurred more often in the spontaneous abortion cases than the induced abortion cases. Chorionic villous changes included hyaline change (67% vs. 7.8%; p M .01), leucocytic infiltration (57.9% vs. 5.6%; p .01), intravillous fibrin deposition (46.1% vs. 14.4%; p .01), and hydropic change (19.7% vs. 12.2; p .05). Decidual changes were hemorrhage (92.1% vs. 35.6%; p .01), leucocytic filtration (85.5% vs. 28.9%; p .01), necrosis (84.2% vs. 33.3%; p .01), and fibrin deposition (75% vs. 38.5%; p .01). In this study, the researchers did not intend to identify the cause and effect relationship in the higher incidence and intensity of histopathologic changes, but did suggest that postmortem changes were responsible for the higher incidence and intensity. To identify causal factors, one needs to conduct chromosomal, endocrine, and metabolic studies. The researchers concluded that the histopathological changes in placenta in spontaneous abortion cases are similar to those of induced abortion cases and have little diagnostic value.