Vascular Placental Pathology and Cardiac Structure in Stillborn Fetuses

Abstract

Objective Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and preeclampsia, are associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes for offspring. Examination of the placenta is important for understanding how the prenatal period shapes long-term cardiovascular health. We sought to investigate the association between placental vascular malperfusion and fetal cardiac structure.

Study Design Data obtained from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network included stillbirths with placental pathology and autopsy. Stillbirths were classified in two ways: based on the severity of placental maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) and based on the cause of death (MVM, fetal vascular malperfusion [FVM], or acute infection/controls). Organ weight and heart measures were standardized by gestational age (GA) and compared across groups.

Results We included 329 stillbirths in the analysis by MVM severity and 76 in the analysis by cause of death (COD). While z-scores for most organ weights/heart measures were smaller when COD was attributed to MVM as compared with FVM or controls, heart weight and brain weight z-scores did not differ by COD (p > 0.05). In analyses accounting for body size, the difference between heart and body weight z-score was −0.05 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.53) among those with MVM as a COD and −0.20 (SD: 0.95) among those with severe MVM. Right and left ventricle thicknesses and tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valve circumferences were consistently as expected or larger than expected for GA and body weight. In the analysis investigating the severity of MVM, those with the most severe MVM had heart measures that were as expected or larger than expected for body weight while those with only mild to moderate MVM had heart measures that were generally small relative to body weight.

Conclusion When assessed as COD or based on severity, MVM was associated with heart measures that were as expected or larger than expected for GA and body weight, indicating possible heart sparing.

Key Points

• Fetal deaths with MVM show smaller organ weights.

• Heart weight sparing is seen with fetal death attributed to MVM.

• Heart weight sparing is more pronounced with severe MVM.

Keywords

autopsy - maternal vascular malperfusion - fetal vascular malperfusion - heart - weight sparing - placental pathology

Publication History

Received: 30 January 2024

Accepted: 25 August 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
29 August 2024

Article published online:
19 September 2024

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