Chronic deciduitis in stillbirths: are there any specific clinical associations?

Abstract

Introduction

Placental chronic deciduitis is a lesion consistent with the presence of plasma cells within the placental basal plate. It could be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirth.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 180 antepartum stillborn cases from singleton pregnancies, with the aim of investigating the clinical-histopathological relationship. Placental slides were reviewed following the standard protocol proposed by the “Amsterdam consensus statement”.

Results

We observed an association between chronic deciduitis and lesions consistent with maternal vascular malperfusion, delayed villous maturation, villitis of unknown etiology and maternal autoimmunity.

Conclusions

The observed clinical-histopathological associations suggest that an extensive maternal investigation could improve the comprehension of factors interfering with the placental development and the increasing risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Highlights

• Chronic deciduitis is associated with lesions consistent with maternal vascular malperfusion

• Chronic deciduitis is associated with delayed villous maturation

• Chronic deciduitis is associated with villitis of unknown etiology

• Chronic deciduitis is associated with maternal autoimmunity

Keywords:

• Deciduitis
• stillbirth
• placenta
• autoimmunity

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

LA: conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, literature search, drafting the manuscript; FM and CS: acquisition of data, literature search, drafting the manuscript; DM: statistical analysis and drafting the manuscript; FF: revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content; GB: performed histologic evaluation, revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content, supervision of the research group.

Additional information

Funding

No financial supports. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.