placental chorioangioma

Epidemiology

• most common tumour of the placenta
  • 1% of pregnancies
• most found incidentally

Pathology

• benign vascular tumour of placental origin
• hought to arise as a malformation of primitive angioblastic tissue of the placenta
• perfused by fetal circulation

Clinical manifestations

• most are asymptomatic

Laboratory

• serum alpha-fetoprotein may be elevated (form maternal blood)

Radiology

• ultrasound
  • hypo-echoic, rounded mass, located near the chorionic plate

Complications

• if large or multiple, can result in poor maternal &/or fetal outcome
• platelet sequestration, fetal thrombocytopenia
• hydrops fetalis.
• polyhydramnios
• premature labor
• intrauterine growth retriction
• placental abruption
• pre-eclampsia

Management

• generally observed without intervention

More general terms

• placental neoplasm
• vascular tissue neoplasm; angioma