From etiology to outcome: investigating the link between placental pathology and clinical risk for preterm birth and neurodevelopment.

Understanding the etiology of preterm birth may provide insights into the risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. This commentary contextualizes the study of El-Shahad et al alongside the complex multifactorial pathway to outcomes in the preterm infant, while noting some limitations within the study. Placental origins of preterm birth do not appear to provide major insights into risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcome in the preterm infant.