Pregnancy and delivery in women with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia: clinical and morphological aspects

Aim. This study aimed to identify peculiarities of the course of pregnancy, delivery, and morphology of the placenta in women with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia (UCTD). Materials and Methods. The main group included 60 pregnant women with UCTD, and the control group was composed of 30 somatically healthy women with physiological course of pregnancy. All patients were examined as regards the use of general clinical and laboratory methods. Moreover, 65 placentas were subjected to complex morphological examinations, including organometry, macro- and microscopic examinations, and immunohistochemistry. Results. Pregnancy and delivery in women with UCTD encounter various complications, such as threat of premature birth and miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, prenatal amenorrhea, and placental insufficiency manifested as fetal growth restriction syndrome and confirmed in the course of morphological examination. The structural basis of chronic placental insufficiency is associated various pathologies of the umbilical cord and disorders in maturation of the villous chorion with the underlying weak adaptive and compensatory processes. Connective tissue dysplasia in fetal membranes is manifested as disorders in histo- and cytoarchitectonics and in increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by amniocytes and cytotrophoblast cells. Conclusion. UCTD produces unfavorable effect on the course of pregnancy and delivery. The results of the clinical and morphological examinations demonstrate the multiorgan characteristics of injuries in the mother-placenta-fetus system, which necessitates further studies for the determination of complex prophylactic measures.