Chapter 55 - The Placenta Flashcards
Major role of the Placenta
To permit the exchange of oxygenated maternal blood (rich in oxygen and nutrients) with deoxygenated fetal blood.
What circulates blood into the placenta?
Maternal vessels–coursing posterior to the placenta
Blood from the fetus returns to the placenta through what?
The unbilical cord
What 4 things make up the embryonic or fetal membranes?
1-Chorion
2-Amnion
3-Yolk Sac
4-Allantois
Implantaion of the blastocyst occurs
6-7 days after fertilization
Enlargement of the trophoblasts helps to anchor the blastocyst to the
Endometrial lining, or decidua.
2 components of the placenta
1-Maternal portion-decidual BASALIS (formed by the endometriial surface)
2-Fetal portion (developed from the chorion frondosum)
Decidual reaction that occurs between the blastocyst and the myometrium
Decidua Basalis
decidual reaction occuring over the blastocyst closest to the endometrial cavity
Decidua capsularis
A reaction changes in the endometrium opposite the site of implantaion
Decidua vera (parietalis)
The fetal trophoblastic tissue that together with the decidua, forms the area for maternal and fetal circulation
Chorion Frondosum
The chorion around the gestational sac on the opposite side of impantation
Chorion laeve
The fetal surface of the placenta
Chorion Plate
The maternal surface of the placenta
Basal plate
The major functioning unit of the placenta
Chorionic Villus
The maternal blood enters
The intervillous spaces
The decisua capsularis is stretched as
the embryo and membranes grow
The chorinonic villi opposite the implantation site of the chorionic sac gradually
Atrophy and disappear (smooth chorion or chorion laeve)
The maternal surface of the placenta, which lies continuous with the decidua basalis
The basal plate
The fetal surface, which is continuous with the surrounding chorion
The chorionic plate
Before birth, the fetal membranes and placenta perform the following 4 functions and activities
1-Protection
2-Nutrition
3-Respiration
4-Excretion
The fetal membranes and placenta sepatate and are expelled
at birth or parturition
Oxygen rich blood passes through the umbilical vein into the ________ through the _________ into the _____ to the______across the _______ into the ________, blood then passes into the _______ and out the ________ to supply the _____ and _______.
fetal abdomen
ductus venosus
IVC
RT Atrium
Foramen Ovale
Lt Atrium
Lt Ventricle
Ascending AO
Brain
Upper body
Un-oxygenated blood from the SVC passes into the _____ through the ______ and across the ________, most blood passes through the _______ and into the _______ to the ________, the _______ to the _______ to return to the ______ for respiratory and nutrients exchange.
Rt Atrium
RT Ventricle
Main Pulmonary Artery
Ductus Arteriosus
AO Arch
Descending AO
Internal Iliac Arteries
Unbilical Arteries
Placenta
What is dedicated to the survival of the fetus
The Placenta
What happens when the fetus is exposed to a poor maternal environment
The placenta can often compensate by becoming more efficient
If the fetus is exposed to poor maternal environment that is severe enough, the stresses can lead to
placental damage
fetal damage
intrauterine demise and pregnancy loss
3 conditions that decrease uterine blood flow and may reduce maternal placental circulation
1-severe hypertension
2-renal disease
3-placental unfarction
Placental defects can cause
IUGR
The normal attachment of the cord is usually
Near the center of the placenta
insertion of the umbilical cord at the margin of the placenta, within 10mm of the edge
Battledore Placenta
A membranous insertin and is best demonstrated with color doppler.
If the membranes cross the internal os it is known as.
Velamentous Placenta
Vasa Previa
Normally the placenta will implant on the
Anterior, fundal or posterior wall of the uterus
Occasionally the placenta will implant low in the uterus resulting in a condition called
Placenta Previa
The Chorion originates from the
Trophoblastic cells
The Amnion develops at the
28th menstrual day
The amnion fuses with the chorion and can no longer be seen on ultrasound as two separate membranes by
16 weeks
The functional endocrine units of the placenta
Chorionic villi
A central core of the placenta is surrounded by an _________ and an__________
Inner layer (cytotrophoblast)
Outer layer (syncytiotrophoblast)
The inner layer (cytotrophobast) of the placenta produces
Neuropeptides
The outer layer (syncytiotrophoblast) of the placenta produces
The protien hCG
human placenta lactogen (hPL)
the sex steroids, estrogen and progesterone
The function of hCG
to maintain the corpus luteum in early pregnancy
hPL is responsible for
The promotion of lyplysis and an antiinsulin action that serves to direct nutirents to the fetus
Progesterone production is
exclusively a maternal-placental interaction, with no contibution from the fetus
The placenta is identified on sonography as early as
8 menstrual weeks
The substance of the placenta assumes a relatively __________ pebble-gray appeaarance between______ and is easily recognized with its characteristically _______ borders
Homogeneous
8-20 weeks
Smooth
The fetal surface of the placenta (portion closest to the fetus) is represented by the
Echogenic chorionic plate
The second surface which lies at the junction of the myometrim
Basal plate
Maternal bloos vessels from the endometrium run behind the basal plate and are often confused with
Placental abruption
The thickness of the placenta varies with gestational age with a diameter of
Less than 2-3cm in fetuses greater than 23 weeks.
The size of the placenta corresponds to the
Gestaional age. And rarely exceeds 4cm
When evaluating the thickness you should maintain a
Perpendicular measurment of the placental surface in relation to the myometrial wall
Enlarged placentas may also be associated with
Rh sensitization
Diabetes of pregnancy
congenital anomalies
Cystic structures representing large fetal vessels are commonly observed coursing
Behind the chorionic plate and between the amnion and chorion layers
(Several sonolucent areas within the placenta may confuse you while unfamiliar with the wide range of placental variants)
Sonographic evaluation of the normal placenta
A- amniotic fluid
f- fetus
P- placenta
Real time observation of blood flow or color Doppler helps to differentiate these vessels
______ may also be found in th eintervillous spave posterior to the chorionic plate (subchorionic)
Deposits of fibrin
May also be seen within the placental substance
Placental sonolucencies.
(These have been refered to as placental lakes and are most often a normal finding)
The placenta is separated from the myometrium by
A subplacental venous complex
Transverse image of the placenta as it lies along the anterior uterine wall. Sonolucencies are seen representing placental lakes (arrows).
A thin hypoechoic layer posterior to the basilar vein
The myometrium
These veins can become very prominent and should not be confused for a retroplacental or marginal hemorrhage
Basial and marginal
To evaluate the position and size of the placenta you should scan
longitudinally from side to side and transversely from inferior to superior
While scanning the placenta what should be documented
the insertion of the cord and inferior edge of the placenta
The placenta may be seen along the
fundus, anterior or lateral uterine wall
The location of the placenta can change framatically with
an over distended urinary bladder or focal uterine contractions.
________ should not be confused for aplacental pathology, The appearance of these contractions may distort the uterine contour and the suspicious area may be rescanned after 15-20 minutes to see if the uterine contour has returned to normal.
Braxton Hicks contractions
The position of the placenta should be described with
Specific na,es given to it by it’s point of origin.
Fundal/Anterior
Fundal.Posterior
Left Lateral, etc….
To visualize the internal os of the cervix and see the relationship of the placenta to the internal os
A sagittal image of the lower uterine segment (LUS) and cervix should be obtained
A normally implanted placenta may appear to cover the internal os if
The maternal bladder is over filled.
(Emptying the bladder reduces the pressure on the lower uterine segment and allows the cervix to assume a more normal position but makes it difficult to see the cervix)
Diagnosis of a posterior previa may be dificult because the fetal skull bones block transmission if the
Fetal head is low in the pelvis.
(You may try tilting the patient in a slight Trendelenburg’s position or using the endovaginal or transperineal approach to relieve pressure of the uterus on the lowe uterine segment-LUS-)
Especially when evaluating the inferior edge of the placenta the best imaging tool to identify the lower uterine segment is
Transvaginal sonography
LUS-lower uterine segment
A previa noted on a scan alerts the obstetrician the
no pelvic exam should be performed.
(A finger inadvertently pushed through an unknown previa can cause bleeding)