Placental morphology in hypertensive disorders and its correlation to neonatal outcome

Background: Placenta is a fetomaternal organ which is vital for maintaining normal pregnancy and promoting growth of the foetus. Pregnancy complications like Preeclampsia are reflected in the placenta both morphologically and microscopically as blood supply to the placenta is impaired in preeclampsia due to failure of trophoblastic invasion. Aim: To correlate morphological changes of placenta with the severity of hypertension in the mother and to assess the neonatal outcome. Materials and methods: It was a comparative study conducted on 200 women out of which 100 were having hypertensive disorders and remaining 100 were taken as control group. Placenta was collected from these women and studied for morphological changes and correlated with severity of hypertension. Neonatal outcome in the form of birth weight, Apgar score, need for neonatal resuscitation and admission to NICU were noted. Results: It was found that placentae in women with preeclampsia were smaller in size, weighed less and associated with other changes like, retro placental hematoma, infarction and calcification. Conclusion: Placental changes had good correlation to fetal weight.