Histopathological Findings in Placenta Delivered from SARS-CoV2 Positive Mothers

Abstract

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infected a wide range of age groups and caused significant morbidity and mortality. Even after constant efforts to combat the virus, it could spread rapidly and infected large groups of people worldwide. Pregnant females were always at risk of acquiring the disease and the coagulopathy caused by the virus may compromise the placental circulation.

Materials and Methods: In this study, we compared histopathological findings of 61 placentas delivered from SARS-CoV2 positive mothers with 34 placentas of SARS-CoV2 negative mothers.

Results: No significant difference was found between SARS-CoV2 positive and SARS-CoV2 negative placentas in terms of period of gestation, placental weight, preterm delivery, or intrauterine fetal death. Microscopically, placentas of SARS-CoV2 positive mothers were significantly associated with features of maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion. The predominant feature of fetal malperfusion was chorangiosis and maternal malperfusion was villous agglutination & atherosis. Increased perivillous fibrin deposition was also found significantly associated with the disease.

Conclusion: COVID 19 disease is related to excessive perivillous fibrin deposition, villous edema, maternal and fetal malperfusion. However, these changes are not specific for the disease, as these changes can be found in other conditions as well. No significant adverse fetal outcome was reported in our study.

Keywords: COVID-19, Fetal vascular malperfusion, Maternal vascular malperfusion, Placenta, perivillous fibrin, SARS-CoV2.