A placental infarction results from the interruption of
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
supply to a part of the
placenta
The placenta is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas and waste exchange between the physically separate mate ...
, causing its
cells to
die.
Small placental infarcts, especially at the edge of the placental disc, are considered to be normal at
term
Term may refer to:
* Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular:
**Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically:
***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...
. Large placental infarcts are associated with vascular abnormalities, e.g.
hypertrophic decidual vasculopathy
In pathology, hypertrophic decidual vasculopathy, abbreviated HDV, is the histomorphologic correlate of gestational hypertension, as may be seen in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and HELLP syndrome.
The name of the condition describes ...
, as seen in
hypertension.
Very large infarcts lead to placental insufficiency and may result in
fetal death
Perinatal mortality (PNM) refers to the death of a fetus or neonate and is the basis to calculate the perinatal mortality rate. Variations in the precise definition of the perinatal mortality exist, specifically concerning the issue of inclusion o ...
.
Relation to maternal floor infarct
''Maternal floor infarcts'' are ''not'' considered to be true placental infarcts, as they result from deposition of
fibrin around the
chorionic villi, i.e. perivillous fibrin deposition.
See also
*
Placental disease
References
External links
Gross pathology of a placental infarct (utah.edu)
{{Pathology of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
Complications of labour and delivery