Maternal vascular malperfusion of the placental bed

Abstract

Maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) of the placental bed represents a recognizable pattern of placental injury related to altered uterine and intervillous blood flow. MVM consists of a constellation of placental pathologic findings seen in the maternal decidual vessels, reflecting abnormal spiral artery remodeling, as well as in the villous parenchyma, reflecting abnormalities in oxygenation and flow dynamics in the intervillous space. This review is dedicated to the gross pathology, microscopic pathology, updated terminology, and clinical implications of MVM.

Keywords: Accelerated villous maturation; infarction; placenta; retroplacental hematoma; uteroplacental ischemia.