ON RELATION BETWEEN TOXEMIA OF PREGNANCY AND PLACENTAL INFARCTS

The relation was investigated between some symptomatically clearly defined forms of toxemia of pregnancy (monosymptomatic and polysymptomatic toxemia and essential hypertension) and the morphological strictly described recent, fairly recent and old infarcts of the placenta. For this purpose 494 placentas, divided into a normal control group and a pathologic group from patients with toxemia of pregnancy, were systematically examined. In the pathologic group infarcts were found more frequently and in a greater number than in the control group, with a preference for a central and paracentral localisation. Placental infarcts were significantly correlated with a low Apgar Score and birth-weight of the newborn. According to the author, infarcts are not pathognomonic for toxemia of pregnancy, but have to be regarded as visible indicators for a diminished maternal circulation in the uterus, which is especially found in toxemia of pregnancy. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.