Triploidy in human abortions

Association between placental mineral deposition, villous architecture and fetal aneuploidy

We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between fetal aneuploidy and placental mineral deposits and villous architecture in 2nd trimester placentas of mid-trimester pregnancy terminations for fetal anomaly. Study cases were aneuploid and matched with euploid controls. Six slides per case were histologically evaluated. Our findings showed significantly increased subtrophoblastic mineral depositions in aneuploidy placentas; also, villous architecture changes between study and control cases were significant for multifocal/extensive villous scalloping and syncytial budding. Our conclusion was that placental histological findings of extensive subtrophoblastic mineral deposition, multifocal/extensive villous scalloping and syncytial budding may suggest aneuploidy.

Triploidy: pregnancy complications and clinical findings in seven cases

Seven cases of triploidy were encountered by the Prenatal Diagnosis Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center over an 8-year period through associated pregnancy complications. We describe the characteristic findings that facilitate prenatal diagnosis and management. Our experience includes fetuses with major central nervous system abnormalities (spina bifida aperta, holoprosencephaly) and anterior abdominal wall defects, which are detectable with routine prenatal diagnostic screening examinations (ultrasound and AFP). In addition, we stress the importance of recognizing obstetric complications and associated cystic placental changes, which are quite common among triploid conceptuses. Molar changes associated with triploidy have a more benign prognosis than that associated with diploid moles. Such molar changes may relate to the presence of a diploid paternal chromosome complement. The usefulness of cytofluorometric DNA determinations in helping to confirm a clinical suspicion of triploidy is emphasized. These cases are presented in an effort to facilitate prenatal recognition and management of this common cytogenetic condition and prevent unnecessary Caesarean section deliveries.

Placental findings in spontaneous abortions and stillbirths

Placentae and membranes of 360 spontaneous abortions and stillbirths were studied by light microscopy and compared to 100 induced abortions of 2-5 months gestation. The placental findings were correlated with morphological and chromosomal studies of the fetuses. A high incidence of hydatid degeneration was found in early spontaneous abortions (less than 12 weeks of age), especially in "blighted ova." "Atypical" stromal cells were found in the placental villi of early abortions with trisomy and triploidy. In late spontaneous abortions (13-18 gestational weeks) inflammatory lesions of the placentae were observed in over a third of cases and the incidence of hydatid degeneration was very low. The incidence of inflammatory lesions of the placentae was further raised in cases of early fetal death (18-24 gestational weeks), involving 60% of the placentae of fetuses without malformations. In stillborn infants, over 25 weeks of age, the incidence of inflammatory placental lesions dropped again, and the incidence of vascular lesions was raised to 50%. It seems that inflammatory lesions of the placentae may play an important role in the etiology of midtrimester spontaneous abortions. Isolation of the infectious microorganism and subsequent treatment may therefore reduce the rate of fetal losses in this group.

The examination of embryonic and fetal material in diagnostic histopathology laboratories

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