Assessing the Link between Placental Morphology and Morphometry and Neonatal Features at Term: Insights from a Hospital-Based Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj-24-1-775Keywords:
Placental morphology, placental morphometry, term, neonatesAbstract
Background: The placenta serves as a crucial interface between maternal and foetal circulation, undergoing dynamic changes throughout pregnancy to attain optimal structural complexity by term. This study aimed to explore potential correlations between neonatal features (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration - APGAR score, and birth weight) and placental morphology and morphometry at term.
Method: Using a hospital-based cross-sectional design and systematic sampling, we meticulously examined and measured 250 placentae post-delivery, while simultaneously recording neonatal features. Descriptive (Mean ± SD and frequency) and Inferential (ANOVA, Chi-square, and Independent t-test) statistical analyses were conducted, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05.
Result: Among the 250 placentae analysed, statistically significant associations were discovered between placental shape and birth weight (p=0.026), placental thickness and birth weight (p=0.001), placental weight and birth weight (p=0.001), placental diameter and birth weight (p=0.001), as well as the number of cotyledons and birth weight (p=0.01). Conversely, no substantial relationship was observed between placental parameters and neonatal APGAR scores.
Conclusion: The findings propose that placental morphometry holds potential as a more robust predictor of foetal outcomes compared to morphology. Further comprehensive research is recommended to elucidate the nuanced dynamics of this relationship, providing crucial insights for refining and advancing prenatal care strategies.
References
Kapila V, Chaudhry K. Physiology, Placenta. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538332/
Benirschke, K. The placenta-how to examine it and what you can learn. Contemporary obstetrics & gynaecology, 1981; 17(3), 117-120.
Benirschke K, Kaufmann P. Pathology of the Human Placenta. 4th ed. Springer; 2000; NY: 947.
Kouvalainen, K., Pynnönen, A. L., Mäkäräinen, M., & Peltonen, T. Weights of placenta, fetal membranes and umbilical cord. Duodecim; laaketieteellinen aikakauskirja, 1971;87(17), 1210-1214.
Pathak S, Hook E, Hackett G, Murdoch E, Sebire NJ, Jessop F, Lees C. Cord coiling, umbilical cord insertion and placental shape in an unselected cohort delivering at term: relationship with common obstetric outcomes. Placenta. 2010 Nov 1;31(11):963-968.
Gupta, C., Harode, H. A., D'souza, A. S., & Sharma, A. A morphological and morphometric study of placenta with its clinical implications. Tropical Journal of Medical Research, 2015, 18(2), 85.
Joseph, F. Y. Examination of the Placenta. American Family Physician. 1998. 57(5), 1045 - 1054.
Kirkwood, B. R., & Sterne, J. A. C. Essential Medical Statistics 2nd ed. United Kingdom. Blackwell Science, United Kingdom, 2003;420 - 421.
Afodun AM, Ajao MS, Enaibe BU. Placental anthropometric features: maternal and neonate characteristics in North Central Nigeria. Advances in Anatomy, vol. 2015, Article ID 790617, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/790617
Abaidoo CS, Boateng KA, Warren MA. Morphological Variations of the “Baby's Supply Line”. Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana). 2008 Sep 18;28(2):1-9.
Louise, C. Pre-eclampsia and other disorders of placentation. Obstetrics by Ten Teachers, 19th edition (Nineteenth edition), 2011: 156-161
Barker D, Osmond C, Grant S, Thornburg KL, Cooper C, Ring S, Davey-Smith G. Maternal cotyledons at birth predict blood pressure in childhood. Placenta. 2013;34(8):672-675.
Whincup P, Cook D, Papacosta O, Walker M. Birth weight and blood pressure: cross sectional and longitudinal relations in childhood. Bmj. 1995; 23;311(7008):773-776.
Eriksson J, Forsen T, Tuomilehto J, Osmond C, Barker D. Fetal and childhood growth and hypertension in adult life. Hypertension. 2000; 36(5):790-794.
Barker DJ, Thornburg KL, Osmond C, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. The surface area of the placenta and hypertension in the offspring in later life. The International journal of developmental biology.2010; 54:525-530
Barker DJ, Gelow J, Thornburg K, Osmond C, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. The early origins of chronic heart failure: impaired placental growth and initiation of insulin resistance in childhood. European journal of heart failure. 2010; 12(8):819-825.
Panti AA, Ekele BA, Nwobodo EI, Yakubu A. The relationship between the weight of the placenta and birth weight of the neonate in a Nigerian Hospital. Nigerian medical journal: journal of the Nigeria Medical Association. 2012 Apr;53(2):80-84
Afadhali, D. R., & Kelvin, M. K. The Effect of Placental Weight and Cotyledon Count to the Fetal Birth Outcome At A Regional Referral Hospital In Tanzania International Journal of Anatomy and Research, 2017; 5(4.2), 4538-4542.
Wallace JM, Horgan GW, Bhattacharya S. Placental weight and efficiency in relation to maternal body mass index and the risk of pregnancy complications in women delivering singleton babies. Placenta. 2012 Aug 1;33(8):611-618.
Sanin LH, Lopez SR, Olivares ET, Terrazas MC, Silva MA, Carrillo ML. Relation between birth weight and placenta weight. Neonatology. 2001;80(2):113-117.
Tetteh J, Abaidoo CS, Darko ND, Diby T. Gross Morphometric Assessment Of The Human Placenta With Reference To Neonatal Indices. International Journal of Anatomy and Research. 2016;7(2.1):6450-6455.
Janthanaphan M, Kor-Anantakul O, Geater A. Placental weight and its ratio to birth weight in normal pregnancy at Songkhlanagarind Hospital. Journal-Medical Association of Thailand. 2006 Feb 1;89(2):130-134.
Asgharnia M, Esmailpour N, Poorghorban M, Atrkar-Roshan Z. Placental weight and its association with maternal and neonatal characteristics. Acta Medica Iranica. 2008:467-472.
Perry IJ, Beevers DG, Whincup PH, Bareford D. Predictors of ratio of placental weight to fetal weight in multiethnic community. Bmj. 1995 Feb 18;310(6977):436-439.
Emeka-Ogbugo, A. & Osunwoke, E. A. Placenta Morphology and Morphometery as a Factor of Infant’s Birth Weight in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2020) Volume 7, Issue 11, 75-82.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal and Publisher
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Journal is owned, published and copyrighted by the Nigerian Medical Association, River state Branch. The copyright of papers published are vested in the journal and the publisher. In line with our open access policy and the Creative Commons Attribution License policy authors are allowed to share their work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
TNHJ also supports open access archiving of articles published in the journal after three months of publication. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g, in institutional repositories or on their website) within the stated period, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). All requests for permission for open access archiving outside this period should be sent to the editor via email to editor@tnhjph.com.
