[Pathology of the placenta. VIII. Asphyxial infiltrates of the placenta]

Abstract

Asphyxial infiltrates of the afterbirth (umbilical cord and placenta) are believed to be non-inflammatory round-cell to leucocytic infiltrates on the following sites: wall of greater vessels of umbilical cord, chorionic membrane, and, less often, stem villi as well as in the chorionic membrane proper. There has also been cellular to primarily leucocytic subchorial demarcation, usually between chorionic plate and Langhans fibrin or even in Langhans fibrin. Also recorded were parietal thrombi in greater arteries of chorionic membrane and stem villi, usually in concomitance round-cell infiltration of the arterial wall in the sense of asphyxial infiltrates. Those alterations are considered to be an entity associated to intra-uterine foetal asphyxia, with extended duration of parturition being though to play a particular role as a trigger factor of asphyxia. The author's own investigations of such alterations to afterbirths from high-risk pregnancies as well as to a consecutive series of newborns without increased risk have shown for either group that no statistical relationship existed between high-risk factors of asphyxia prior to or during labour, on the one hand, and such asphyxial infiltrates, on the other, not even in cases of prolonged labour. While we are not in a position at present to clearly define this complex in terms of genetic causality, we should like to maintain it under the heading of "asphyxial infiltrates" for the purpose of placental diagnosis.