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What is Perinatal Pathology?
What is Perinatal Pathology?
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What is Perinatal Pathology? Pathology is the gross and microscopic study of cells and tissues in order to determine the cause and etiology of a disease or outcome. Perinatal pathology includes the study of the placenta, the fetus or may also include study of the products of conception lost early in a pregnancy. Placental histologic examination would be pointless if it could not provide clinically useful data - consequently, Dr. Salafia's research has been directed toward an improved understanding of the vital contributions that placental examination can make to clinical practice and patient care. The discrimination of patterns of histopathology, potential tissue targets and timing of tissue injury are considered to be helpful in the specific tailoring of obstetric surveillance plans and therapies in subsequent pregnancies. Then "What is the placenta?" The placenta is the fetal lifeline, providing fluids, oxygen, minerals, nutrients, antibodies and many other essentials to the developing fetus while at the same time removing metabolic waste products. There are three primary influences on placental function: maternal blood flow, fetal-placental blood flow and placental trophoblast cell membrane permeability. However, placental structure is intimately correlated with placental structure (see IPAM and related research). The placenta transfers molecules into the fetoplacental pool proportionate to their concentrations in the maternal circulation. Features limiting fetal oxygenation, nutrition and metabolism are (1) altered maternal perfusion, (2) altered fetoplacental perfusion, (3) reduced placental permeability and (4) increased placental metabolic needs. As the fetus develops, mechanisms must be in place to increase uterine blood flow to the placenta to compensate for increased fetal needs. If the placenta fails, it is often due to the related failure of the uteroplacental blood vessels to deliver increased uterine blood flow. Death of placental tissue (the ultimate placental tissue "failure") will result in structural placental changes that can be diagnosed by the pathologist. |