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Review
. 2023 Jan;160(1):22-27.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14301. Epub 2022 Jul 3.

Placental pathology and neonatal encephalopathy

Aine Fox  1   2 , Emma Doyle  3 , Michael Geary  2   4 , Breda Hayes  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Placental pathology and neonatal encephalopathy

Aine Fox et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide; however, there remain gaps in our knowledge about its pathogenesis. The placenta has been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease but conclusive evidence related to the placental factors that influence it is sparse. This review aims to outline the current knowledge on the role of the placenta with particular attention to its role in NE as a consequence of hypoxia-ischemia. A total of 26 original articles/review papers were used to compile this review. Three themes were identified from these publications: fetal vascular malperfusion including umbilical cord pathology, inflammatory changes in the placenta, and maternal vascular malperfusion including placental weight. These features were identified as being significant in the development of NE. Advancing our understanding of this relationship between placental pathology and NE may facilitate the development of additional antenatal screening to better identify at-risk fetuses. We highlight areas for further research through antenatal screening and placental histology.

Keywords: cerebral palsy; fetal vascular malperfusion; hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy; neonatal encephalopathy; placenta.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

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FIGURE 1
Review articles reviewed.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Original research articles reviewed.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Original research articles reviewed with subheadings.
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