Gestational and Placental Disorders Flashcards
Why are diseases of pregnancy and pathologic conditions of the placenta important?
- Due to causes of fetal intrauterine or perinatal death, congenital malformations, intrauterine growth restriction, maternal death, and morbidity for both the mother and child
How does blood enter the placenta?
- Through the intervillous space through endometrial arteries and circulates around the villi to allow gas and nutrient exchange
- Deoxygenated blood enters the placenta through two umbilical arteries that branch radially to form fetal chorionic arteries which branch until they form an extensive capillary system
What are some functions of the placenta?
- Nutrient and waste diffusion
- Hormone production –> hCG, progesterone, and hPL
- Immunologic organ (down regulates antigen expression)
Does fetal and maternal blood mix?
- No but sufficient free fetal DNA reaches the maternal circulation to permit prenatal genetic testing
What is prenatal cell free DNA screening used?
- Method to screen for certain chromosomal abnormalities
What is spontaneous abortion defined as?
- Pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation
What are some causes of spontaneous abortion?
- Fetal chromosomal anomalies
- Maternal endocrine factors
- Physical defects of uterus
- Systemic disorders affecting the maternal vasculature
- Infections with protozoa, bacteria, or a number of viruses
What are some fetal chromosomal anomalies that cause spontaneous abortion?
- Aneuploidy
- Polyploidy
- Translocations
What are some maternal endocrine factors that can cause spontaneous abortion?
- Luteal phase defects
- Poorly controlled diabetes
- Other endocrine disorders
What are some physical defects of the uterus that can cause spontaneous abortion?
- Submucosal leiomyomas
- Uterine polyps
- Uterine malformations that may prevent or disrupt implantation
What are some systemic disorders that affect maternal vasculature that can cause spontaneous abortion?
- Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
- Coagulopathies
- Hypertension
What are the most common microorganisms that cause preterm labor?
- Ureaplasma urealyticum
- Mycoplasma hominis
- Gardnerella vaginalis
- Trichomonas
- Gonorrhea
- Chlamydia
When do most spontaneous abortions occur?
- Occur before end of first trimester
- Most are clinically not recognized as a pregnancy
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
- Implantation of the fetus in a site other than the normal intrauterine locations
What is the most common location for an ectopic pregnancy?
- Extrauterine fallopian tube
What are some other sites of ectopic pregancy?
- Ovary
- Abdominal cavity
- Intrauterine portion of fallopian tube
What is the most common cause of hematosalpinx (blood filled fallopian tube?
- Tubal pregnancy
What is a predisposing condition that leads to ectopic pregnancy?
- Chronic salpingitis
- Fallopian tube scarring/adhesions also can be due to appendicitis, endometriosis, or prior surgery
- IUD increases ectopic pregnancy
What does an ectopic pregnancy look like?
- Onset of moderate to severe abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding 6 to 8 weeks after the last menstrual period
- Patient may rapidly develop hemorrhagic shock and signs of acute abdomen with tubal rupture
How is diagnosis made for ectopic pregnancy?
- Determination of chorionic gonadotropin titers
- Pelvic sonography
- Endometrial biopsy
- Laparoscopy
What is hCG?
- Produced by trophoblasts and maintains the corpus luteum
- Levels double every 2 days during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy
What is a classic ultrasound sign of ectopic pregnancy?
- Donut sign
When do disorders of late pregnancy show up?
- During the third trimester and are related to the complex anatomy of the maturing placenta
What are the two pathways that infections use to cause premature rupture of amniotic membranes and delivery?
- Ascending infection (most common) and almost alway bacterial
- Hematogenous dissemination (viruses, Toxo, mycoplasma, listeria, chlamydia, ureaplasma)