Thrombophilia and placental pathology

Abstract

Thrombophilic states have been associated with a variety of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The underlying placental pathology linking thrombophilia to these outcomes closely resembles that seen in other pregnancy disorders associated with chronic obstruction of the maternal or fetal vasculature. No single placental lesion is pathognomonic for thrombophilia. However, the finding of typical pathologic lesions in the context of recurrent pregnancy loss, severe early onset disease, or neonatal coagulation abnormalities should prompt the consideration of an underlying thrombophilic state.