Placental Pathology in COVID-19: Case Series in a Community Hospital Setting

Association of placental histopathological findings with COVID-19 and its predictive factors

Objective

The aims of the study are to describe the association of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with the abnormal histopathological findings in human placenta and to highlight the potential predictors of these histopathological findings.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study, held in two obstetric units from January 2021- 2022, 34 patients who were confirmed cases of COVID- 19 were followed up till the time of delivery as their placenta were sent for histopathology. Patients diagnosed with other viral infections, chorioamnionitis, or were known case of as pre-term or term pre labour rupture of membrans (PROM) were excluded as well as pre exisiting diabetes mellitus or pre-eclampsia. Data analysis were performed using STATA software version 16.

Result

Specific histopatological findings (fetal vascular malperfusion, maternal vascular malperfusion, inflammatory pathology and thrombotic finding) were significantly high among 13 (38.2%) of the study group who got infected earlier in pregnancy (P<0.001). The period between the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the delivery significantly increases the odds of the presence of pathological findings by 2.75 times for each week the patients getting infected earlier.

Conclusion

Association of abnormal placental histopathological findings with COVID-19 infection in pregnancy and the potential predictor for the occurrence of placental findings is the longer duration between the diagnosis of the infection and the delivery.

Adverse Fetal Outcomes and Histopathology of Placentas Affected by COVID-19: A Report of Four Cases

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had significant impacts on mothers and neonates. In this report, we present four unique cases of COVID-19 infections in pregnancy and its effects on the mother, fetus, and placenta. Four mothers presented to the hospital during their pregnancy. Each had tested COVID-19-positive 1-29 days prior to admission. Gestational age ranged from 16 weeks six days to 36 weeks six days. Three of the four cases resulted in fetal demise or infant expiration. The common finding among all four cases was pathologic changes in the placenta. Most of the placentas were small for gestational age and had extensive villous infarction. There was also histiocytic intervillositis with villous necrosis and perivillous fibrin deposition. The placentas demonstrated positive staining of syncytiotrophoblasts for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike S1 subunit protein. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in tissue samples of two of the fetuses demonstrating vertical transmission. A higher incidence of severe COVID-19 disease course has been observed in pregnant women. Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, chorionic histiocytic intervillositis of the placenta was rarely seen, and mostly of unknown etiology. The increase in placental fibrin levels results in decreased maternal placenta blood flow ensuing hypoxic stress in the fetus. Intrauterine hypoxia has been associated with alterations in brain structure and function resulting in defects in motor skills, cerebral palsy, decreased brain weight, schizophrenia, and other forms of cognitive impairment.

Placental damage comparison between preeclampsia with COVID-19, COVID-19, and preeclampsia: analysis of caspase-3, caspase-1, and TNF-alpha expression

Background

Some studies have reported that preeclampsia with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) significantly increases the risk of adverse perinatal outcome until near to three-fold over the normal pregnancy. Preeclampsia pathophysiology in theory, increases the perinatal mortality and morbidity starting from placental injury which is also believed to share the common pathway with COVID-19 infection. Major typical placental injuries for these matters could be apoptotic, necrotic, or pyroptotic.

Objective

This study aimed to compare placental damage between those three conditions above in those three typical injuries.

Study Design

This was an observational analytic study with cross-sectional setting. Seventy-two pregnant women admitted to hospital consecutively with diagnosis of preeclampsia with COVID-19, Preeclampsia only and COVID-19 only. Diagnosis for preeclampsia was following FIGO criteria with at least one of the severe features. COVID-19 eligible for this study was PCR test confirmative with moderate to severe clinical degree. Placenta were taken after the delivery, and parameters were quantified with immunohistochemistry test for caspase-3, caspase-1, and TNF-alpha representing apoptotic, pyroptotic, and necrotic pathway respectively.

Results

Pregnancy with double complications, preeclampsia, and COVID-19, significantly has the highest placental damage on apoptotic, pyroptotic, and necrotic pathway shown from the caspase-3, caspase-1, and TNF-alpha expression in placenta (p <0.05). Moderate to severe degree of COVID-19 resulting higher placental damage compared to preeclampsia in all the three forms (p <0.05). Apoptotic process was the most prominent among other pathways.

Conclusion

Preeclampsia with COVID-19 infection showed significant placental damage, with major changes related were apoptosis, inflammation, and necrosis. This data support poor perinatal outcome of pregnancy having preeclampsia and COVID-19 at the same time.

A spectrum of pathological changes induced by SARS-COV-2: An observational study in a cohort of pregnant women from Mizoram, India

Background

Maternal infection by SARS-CoV-2 may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes and causes pathological changes in the placenta. However, consensus regarding characteristic pathological features is lacking. Researchof the placental histopathology in a cohort of women from Mizoram, India, was conducted to relate the SARS-CoV-2 infection's effectswith pregnancy and its outcome.

Materials and methods

The characteristics of 72 pregnant women diagnosed positive for SARS-CoV-2 who eventually delivered at Zoram Medical College Hospital, Mizoram, neonates' well-being, and histopathological features of placentas were studied.

Results

Of 72 women in this study, 59 (81.9%) gave birth at full term. Among these births, 5 were normal vaginal deliveries, while the remaining 67 (93.1%) were delivered via cesarean section. The reasons for cesarean delivery were either related to SARS-CoV-2 infection (n ​= ​49), existing obstetric problems (n ​= ​15) or fetal-distress (n ​= ​5). All deliveries resulted in live births of COVID-negative babies, with 80.6% (n ​= ​58) of the newborns having a birth weight of over 2.5 ​kg. APGAR scores ranged from 4 to 6 in 61 (84.7%) of the babies, and 10 neonates required resuscitation, of which 8 were managed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The placental histopathology showed increased fibrin thrombi in 8 cases (11.1%), while 20 cases (28%) showed focal infarction, microcalcification levels were elevated in 16 cases (22.2%), and a small percentage of cases (1.4%) exhibited small fibrotic villi and inter-villus agglutination. Placental chorioangiosis was detected in 28 (38.9%) of the cases, while avascular villi were seen in 6 cases. Meconium-stained liquor was observed in a single case. Intervillous hemorrhage was found in 42 cases, whileintervillous inflammation and increased syncytial knots were present in 14 and 5 cases, respectively. The placenta pathology of 10 neonates who required resuscitation/NICU admission was not significantly different from that of the 62 neonates who did not require it. However, a higher proportion of placenta from the asymptomatic group showed no abnormality compared to the symptomatic group (p ​= ​0.046).

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a range of morphological changes and lesions in the placenta, including chorangiosis, villositis, chorioamnionitis, fetal vascular malperfusion/thrombosis, fibrin-deposition, increased syncytial-knotting, increased microcalcification, increased villous agglutination, focal infarct, intervilloushemorrhage as well as inflammation. Placental histopathological findings from this study can provide additional information to the existing literature on the subject.

Does COVID-19 infection acquired in different pregnancy trimester influence placental pathology?

OBJECTIVES

To determine the morphological characteristics of the placentas from COVID-19 positive mothers in regard to the trimester of COVID-19 infection onset and low weight molecular heparin (LMWH) treatment.

METHODS

Placentas were collected in the period April 1st till September 1st 2021 after delivery at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital Split, Croatia, and sent for pathological examination. Medical history and pathology reports were used to collect the data. Pregnant women were divided based on the onset of COVID-19 infection and stratified into low molecular weight heparin (LMWH)+ or LMWH-. Depending on the data distribution, the following test were used: chi-squared test. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test.

RESULTS

In 38% of patients the onset of COVID-19 infection was the 1st trimester of pregnancy, in 27% in the 2nd and 35% of women were infected in the 3rd trimester The fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) occurrence was statistically significantly higher in the LMWH- group and if the onset of infection was in the 2nd trimester, while the perivillous fibrin deposition was most likely to happen if the COVID-19 infection that occured in the 1st trimester of pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

The onset of COVID-19 infection has the influence on trophoblast damage and subsequent morphological appearance of the placenta. LMWH use in COVID positive pregnant women decreases the rate of the FVM in examined placentas.

The Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Maternal and Fetal Wellbeing in New Mexico

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been shown to affect the vasculature, including placental changes. Insults to the placenta, especially in the first and second trimester, can affect placental functionality with a resultant impact on fetal growth and wellbeing. Thus, we explored the relationship between antenatally acquired maternal COVID-19 infection and neonatal birth characteristics. A retrospective chart review was completed using the University of New Mexico electronic medical record system. ICD-10 codes were used to identify individuals that had a positive pregnancy test and positive COVID-19 screening test between 1 March 2020 to 24 March 2021. Chi-square and nonparametric Wilcoxon analyses were used, with p < 0.05 considered significant. A total of 487 dyad charts was analyzed, with 76 (16%) individuals identified as being COVID-19-positive (CovPos) during pregnancy. CovPos mothers were significantly more likely to deliver via a cesarean section compared to CovNeg mothers (33% vs. 20%, p < 0.01). There was a significant difference in gestational age at delivery, with infants born to CovPos individuals born at an earlier gestational age than those born to CovNeg individuals (37.6 vs. 38.5 weeks; p < 0.01). Our findings showed differences in maternal and infant characteristics following COVID-19 infection during pregnancy. Additional investigations are required to further delineate these relationships with a focus on potential long-term impacts on the neonate.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy and Histological Alterations in the Placenta

(1) Background: Despite the high number of cases of COVID-19 during pregnancy, SARS-CoV-2 congenital infection is rare. The role of the placenta as a barrier preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from the mother to the fetus is still being studied. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on placental tissue. (2) Methods: This was a transversal monocentric observational study. In the study, we included pregnant women with COVID-19 who delivered at “Sfântul Pantelimon” Clinical Emergency Hospital between 1 April 2020 and 30 March 2022. Histological analyses, both macroscopic and microscopic, were performed for placentas that came from these cases. (3) Results: To date, a characteristic placental lesion has not been clearly demonstrated, but most findings include features of maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion, which probably reflect the reduction in placental blood flow due to low oxygen level from the hypoxic respiratory disease and underlying hypercoagulable state induced by the COVID-19 infection. (4) Conclusions: The histopathological aspects found in placentas that came from COVID-19-positive pregnant women are common for many other diseases, but when they are found together, they are highly suggestive for viral infectious involvement of the placenta.

The Risk of Obstetrical Hemorrhage in Placenta Praevia Associated with Coronavirus Infection Antepartum or Intrapartum

Background and Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the severity of obstetrical bleeding in the third trimester associated with COVID infection in placenta previa and accreta. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to compare the risk of obstetrical bleeding in the case of placenta previa with or without associated SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients presenting with placenta previa before labor were classified into three groups: group A (control) as no infection throughout their pregnancy, group B as confirmed infection during the 1st trimester, and group C as confirmed infection at the time of delivery. Infected patients were stratified according to the severity of signs and symptoms. The severity of obstetrical hemorrhage at birth was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. All placentas were analyzed histologically to identify similarities. Results: Prematurity and pregnancy-induced hypertension appear significantly related to SARS-CoV-2 infection during the 3rd trimester. Placenta accreta risk increases significantly with infection during the 1st trimester. No statistically significant differences in the severity of hemorrhage associated with childbirth in cases with placenta previa between groups A and C but increased obstetrical bleeding mainly due to emergency hemostatic hysterectomy in group B driven by placenta accrete were detected. Obstetrical hemorrhage at birth in the case of coexistence of the infection was found not to correlate with the severity of the viral disease. Meanwhile, the number of days of hospitalization after birth is related to the specific treatment of COVID infection and not related to complications related to birth. Conclusions: The study finds an increased incidence of placenta accreta associated with placenta previa in cases where the viral infection occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy, associated with an increased incidence of hemostasis hysterectomies in these patients. Placental histological changes related to viral infection are multiple and more important in patients who had COVID infection in the first trimester.

The effect of the delta SARS-CoV-2 variant on maternal infection and pregnancy

A greater proportion of pregnant women with COVID-19 have mild disease compared with their non-pregnant counterparts. Paradoxically, however, they are at higher risk of developing severe disease, requiring respiratory support and admission to intensive care. The delta SARS-Cov-2 variant is associated with increased risk of hospitalization and morbidity in unvaccinated pregnant populations. However, it is not known whether the worse pregnancy outcomes associated with the delta variant are due to a direct effect of the virus on the pregnancy, or whether this effect is mediated through more severe maternal infection. Here, we synthesize studies of COVID-19 pregnancies, focusing on the different routes of SARS-CoV-2 infection of lung and placenta, and the mechanisms of syncytial formation for each SARS-CoV-2 variant. To delineate COVID-19 complications in pregnant women, future studies should explore whether the delta variant causes greater placental infection compared to other variants and contributes to increased syncytial formation.

Placental histopathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to report the spectrum of placental pathology findings in pregnancies complicated by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science databases were searched up to August 11, 2021.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Histopathologic anomalies included maternal vascular malperfusion, fetal vascular malperfusion, acute inflammatory pathology, chronic inflammatory pathology, increased perivillous fibrin, and intervillous thrombosis. Moreover, subanalyses of symptomatic women only and high-risk pregnancies were performed.

METHODS

Histopathologic analysis of the placenta included gross examination, histopathology on hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction on placental tissue, and transmission electron microscope. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

A total of 56 studies (1008 pregnancies) were included. Maternal vascular malperfusion was reported in 30.7% of placentas (95% confidence interval, 20.3-42.1), whereas fetal vascular malperfusion was observed in 27.08 % of cases (95% confidence interval, 19.2-35.6). Acute and chronic inflammatory pathologies were reported in 22.68% (95% confidence interval, 16.9-29.0) and 25.65% (95% confidence interval, 18.4-33.6) of cases, respectively. Increased perivillous fibrin was observed in 32.7% (95% confidence interval, 24.1-42.0) of placentas undergoing histopathologic analysis, whereas intervillous thrombosis was observed in 14.6% of cases (95% confidence interval, 9.7-20.2). Other placental findings, including a basal plate with attached myometrial fibers, microscopic accretism, villous edema, increased circulating nucleated red blood cells, or membranes with hemorrhage, were reported in 37.5% of cases (95% confidence interval, 28.0-47.5), whereas only 17.5% of cases (95% confidence interval, 10.9-25.2) did not present any abnormal histologic findings. The subanalyses according to maternal symptoms owing to SARS-CoV-2 infection or the presence of a high-risk pregnancy showed a similar distribution of the different histopathologic anomalies to that reported in the main analysis. Moreover, the risk of placental histopathologic anomalies was higher when considering only case-control studies comparing women with SARS-CoV-2 infection with healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

In pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, a significant proportion of placentas showed histopathologic findings, suggesting placental hypoperfusion and inflammation. Future multicenter prospective blinded studies are needed to correlate these placental lesions with pregnancy outcomes.

Assessment of fetal growth and anomalies in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: an Egyptian pilot study

Background

Many issues need to be studied regarding pregnant women during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess fetal growth, fetal well-being, and any observed gross anomalies that may follow SARS-CoV-2 infection in Egyptian pregnant women. During fetal anomaly scan at 22 weeks, we compared 30 pregnant women with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection at 6‑12 weeks of gestation (group A) with 60 pregnant women (group B) who had no history of SARS-CoV-2. Then, we followed them on 28 and 34 weeks of gestation with fetal biometry and Doppler study.

Results

Our results revealed no significant difference between both groups regarding fetal biometry, estimated fetal weight, amniotic fluid index, Doppler scan, and gross anomaly scan throughout all visits.

Conclusion

According to the results of our pilot study, SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy was not found to increase the risk of fetal growth restriction or possible fetal gross anomalies. Nevertheless, larger-scale studies are needed to confirm those findings. Perhaps, post-SARS-CoV-2 infection pregnancies may run an uncomplicated course regarding fetal parameters.

Placental histopathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to report the spectrum of placental pathology findings in pregnancies complicated by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science databases were searched up to August 11, 2021.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Histopathologic anomalies included maternal vascular malperfusion, fetal vascular malperfusion, acute inflammatory pathology, chronic inflammatory pathology, increased perivillous fibrin, and intervillous thrombosis. Moreover, subanalyses of symptomatic women only and high-risk pregnancies were performed.

METHODS

Histopathologic analysis of the placenta included gross examination, histopathology on hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction on placental tissue, and transmission electron microscope. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

A total of 56 studies (1008 pregnancies) were included. Maternal vascular malperfusion was reported in 30.7% of placentas (95% confidence interval, 20.3-42.1), whereas fetal vascular malperfusion was observed in 27.08 % of cases (95% confidence interval, 19.2-35.6). Acute and chronic inflammatory pathologies were reported in 22.68% (95% confidence interval, 16.9-29.0) and 25.65% (95% confidence interval, 18.4-33.6) of cases, respectively. Increased perivillous fibrin was observed in 32.7% (95% confidence interval, 24.1-42.0) of placentas undergoing histopathologic analysis, whereas intervillous thrombosis was observed in 14.6% of cases (95% confidence interval, 9.7-20.2). Other placental findings, including a basal plate with attached myometrial fibers, microscopic accretism, villous edema, increased circulating nucleated red blood cells, or membranes with hemorrhage, were reported in 37.5% of cases (95% confidence interval, 28.0-47.5), whereas only 17.5% of cases (95% confidence interval, 10.9-25.2) did not present any abnormal histologic findings. The subanalyses according to maternal symptoms owing to SARS-CoV-2 infection or the presence of a high-risk pregnancy showed a similar distribution of the different histopathologic anomalies to that reported in the main analysis. Moreover, the risk of placental histopathologic anomalies was higher when considering only case-control studies comparing women with SARS-CoV-2 infection with healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

In pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, a significant proportion of placentas showed histopathologic findings, suggesting placental hypoperfusion and inflammation. Future multicenter prospective blinded studies are needed to correlate these placental lesions with pregnancy outcomes.