Placental and Cord Examination |
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Placental and Cord Examination |
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| Complete assessment following a stillbirth requires
investigation of the entire
Environmental-Maternal-Placental-Fetal complex. Although
WiSSP protocols emphasize evaluations that may uncover
fetal processes resulting in stillbirth, we recognize the
critical importance of placental and umbilical cord
examination. Care must be taken in distinguishing incidental or secondary abnormality from causality. More than half of all placentas of stillborn infants will have demonstrable abnormality through routine examination (and nearly 100% with extensive histologic assessment!). Of course this doesn't mean that all stillbirths arise from placental problems. In fact, many placental and cord features are either secondary to some other primary etiologic process or are irrelevant to understanding cause of death (see, for examples, the discussion of the umbilical cord in stillbirth in WiSSPers volume 1, number 2.). The suggested Protocol for Placental and Cord Evaluation is a brief composite derived from multiple sources. Citations for Placental and Cord Examination can be reviewed for additional insight into placental evaluation, particularly for those wishing to perform more complete and extensive assessments, and for those desiring more comprehensive understanding of the etiologic implications of various findings. Cytogenetic Assessment < == > Internal Post-Mortem Assessment |