Amniotic adhesion malformation syndrome: fetal and placental pathology.

We describe 11 severely damaged fetuses, their placentas, and defective membranes involved in the amniotic adhesion malformation syndrome. The constantly abnormal relation between the fetus and placenta, the absence of the free umbilical cord, the extremely short umbilical cord, common absence of an umbilical artery, and severe malformations in internal organs suggest that instead of a single rupture of the amnion, the early germinal disk might have been defective. We have no clue of possible cause. Heredity seems to be improbable; the most likely explanation is a teratogenic condition during early pregnancy.