Placental acute inflammation infiltrates and pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective cohort study

Chorioamnionitis can be either an infection or a sterile inflammation. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of acute inflammatory lesions of the placenta, the association with a positive result of the microbiological examination, and the fetal-maternal outcomes. This retrospective study considered all single, consecutive pregnancies and their placental pathological examination during 2014-2017. The evidence of funisitis, chorionic vasculitis, and chorioamnionitis was assessed by a pathologist, including stage and grade. Moreover, maternal fever, placental microbiological examination, and neonatal outcomes were also recorded. Among the 5910 pregnancies in the considered period, 1770 had a placental pathological examination, and 358 (6.06%) had acute placental inflammation. Microbiological examination was performed in 125 cases, revealing 64 cases with a positive microbiological outcome. In the presence of acute placental inflammation, there was a higher rate of neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, admission to neonatal intensive care unit, and postnatal death of the newborn. Multivariate analysis inferred that acute inflammation of membranes was a risk factor for neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OR 2.12; CI.95 1.36-3.31; p < 0.05), acute funisitis was a risk factor for admission to intensive neonatal care unit (OR 3.2; CI.95 1.67-6.12; p < 0.05), and chorionic vasculitis was a risk factor for postnatal death of the newborn (OR 5.38; CI.95 1.37-21.06; p < 0.05). The prevalence of chorioamnionitis was 6.06%, and about half of the cases were sterile inflammation. Chorioamnionitis was associated with higher rates of adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes; in particular, chorionic vasculitis was a risk factor for postnatal death.