Placental Pathology in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome According to Genotype/Epigenotype Subgroups

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of placental pathological lesions in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), an overgrowth disorder that exhibits etiologic molecular heterogeneity and variable phenotypic expression.

Materials and methods: The study included 60 BWS patients with a proven molecular diagnosis and a placental pathological examination. Placentomegaly, placental mesenchymal dysplasia (PMD), chorangioma/chorangiomatosis, and extravillous trophoblastic (EVT) cytomegaly were evaluated and their frequencies in the different molecular subgroups were compared. Immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed on EVT cytomegaly.

Results: Placentomegaly was found in 70.9% of cases, PMD in 21.7%, chorangioma/chorangiomatosis in 23.3%, and EVT cytomegaly in 21.7%; there was no significant intergroup difference. EVT cytomegaly showed loss of p57 expression, increased Ki67 proliferating index, and polyploidy on FISH analysis.

Conclusions: There was no genotype/epigenotype-phenotype correlation concerning placental lesions in BWS. Diffuse EVT cytomegaly with polyploidy may represent a placental finding suggestive of BWS.

Keywords: 11p15 region; Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome; chorangioma; cytomegaly; placenta; placental mesenchymal dysplasia.