Abstract
This chapter provides a brief overview to the development, normal gross and microscopic appearance of the placenta. Placental development is presented in terms of the changing microanatomy to better understand the organisation of the mature tissues. The placenta is a complex organ with divergent normal histology over time in one individual and between individuals at similar gestational age. Separating the whole into anatomic compartments facilitates placental examination. These compartments may genetically identify with the fetus or the mother. The anatomic compartments addressed in the gross and microscopic examination include the umbilical cord (fetus), the extraplacental membranes (fetus and mother), the chorionic plate and chorionic plate vasculature (fetus), the stem villi (fetus), the distal villi (fetus), the intervillous space (predominantly maternal with some fetal elements) and the basal plate with basal decidua (predominantly maternal with some fetal elements).
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Heerema-McKenney, A. (2019). Placental Development with Expected Normal Gross and Microscopic Findings. In: Khong, T., Mooney, E., Nikkels, P., Morgan, T., Gordijn, S. (eds) Pathology of the Placenta. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97214-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97214-5_2
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