Citation

van der Knoop BJ, van der Voorn JP, Nikkels P, Zonnenberg IA, van Weissenbruch MM, Vermeulen RJ, de Vries J. Pediatr. Dev. Pathol. 2019; 22(3): 221-228.

Affiliation

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/1093526618799292

PMID

30208758

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Trauma in pregnancy may cause placental abruption. Consequences of moderate placental injury on neurodevelopment are unknown. The aim was to evaluate placental histology after maternal trauma.

METHODS A prospective study was conducted at 2 tertiary medical centers in the Netherlands. Placentas from women exposed to maternal trauma ≥ 20 weeks' gestational age were histologically examined. Neurological follow-up of the infants was performed at 1 year of age by means of Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Histological findings were compared to placentas from pregnancies without trauma. Principal Results Thirteen placentas were investigated in the trauma group. The control group consisted of 15 placentas. Placental pathology was seen more often in the trauma cases (11 of the 13) than in the controls (6 of the 15), P = .024. Neurological follow-up was normal.

CONCLUSIONS In this small population, majority of the placentas showed pathology after minor trauma in pregnancy without consequences for neurodevelopment at 1 year.

Language: en

Keywords

brain ultrasound; neurodevelopment; placenta; placental histology; trauma in pregnancy