Relationship among maternal serum endocrinology, placental karyotype, and intervillous circulation in early pregnancy failure

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship among maternal serum endocrinology, placental karyotype, and intervillous blood flow in missed miscarriage.

Design: Cross-sectional study of maternal serum, transvaginal ultrasound/Doppler, and placental cytogenetic and immunohistochemical investigations.

Setting: Tertiary care academic hospital.

Patient(s): One hundred fifty-two women with missed miscarriage between 7 and 13 weeks of gestation.

Intervention(s): Ultrasound features, placental intervillous circulation findings on color Doppler imaging, and maternal serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), beta-hCG, E(2), P, and inhibin A were compared retrospectively with placenta karyotype and hCG immunochemistry.

Main outcome measures: Data were analyzed according to karyotype results, presence or absence of an intervillous circulation, and delay between fetal demise and evacuation.

Result(s): The presence of intervillous blood flow and serum concentrations of the different hormones were independent of placental karyotype. Serum beta-hCG and P were significantly higher in cases with intervillous blood flow. No difference in immunostaining for beta-hCG was found between placental tissues from normal pregnancies and missed miscarriages, but significantly higher villous beta-hCG content was found on Western blotting in miscarriage with a recent fetal demise.

Conclusion(s): The excessive entry of maternal blood inside the placenta in the early stage of most miscarriages is unrelated to conceptus karyotype, and hCG features may reflect a temporary attempt of the trophoblast to stabilize after the initial oxidative insult.