The role of chronic non-specific inflammatory lesions of the placenta in intra-uterine growth retardation.

Placentae from 108 cases of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) were examined microscopically with special emphasis on the occurrence of chronic non-specific inflammatory lesions. Sixteen cases (14.8%) showed severe villitis (SV) while 15 (13.8%) showed moderate villitis (MV). The SV-cases seemed to be more severely growth retarded, while no differences in the growth patterns appeared. A greater part of the SV-cases than of those with moderate or no villitis were cases without maternal or fetal causes for the growth retardation. The placental weight and placental index were higher in the cases with severe villitis. A mixture of lymphocytes and histiocytes was the most common finding among the placentae with villitis. Six cases of umbilical cord thrombangitis were registered, the majority of these being associated with villitis. The present findings suggest an association between intrauterine growth retardation and villitis of unknown etiology.