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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jan 31.
Published in final edited form as: Placenta. 2014 Dec 5;36(2):101–114. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2014.11.021

Table 5. Common Gross and Histopathologic Placental Findings.

Placental pathology Progestational diabetes Gestational diabetes
Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes
Growth/weight - Increased placental weight compared to healthy
controls		 - Increased placental
weight
Degree of villous
maturity		 - Increased frequency of immature villi compared to
healthy controls		 - Increased frequency
of immature villi
Measures of
angiogenesis		 - Increased number of
capillaries in terminal
villi compared to
healthy controls
- Increased mean
number of redundant
connections per
terminal villi compared
to healthy controls
- Greater combined
length of fetal
capillaries compared to
healthy controls		 - Increased mean
number of redundant
connections per
terminal villi compared
to healthy controls
Volume and surface
areas of parenchymal
tissue (contains the
structure or
compartments that are
strictly concerned in
metabolic exchanges
between mother and
fetus)		 - Increased volume of parenchymal tissue compared
to healthy controls		 - Increased volume of
parenchymal tissue
compared to healthy
controls
Maternal vascular
(primary vascular and
secondary vascular
lesions)		 - Increased incidence
of nucleated fetal red
blood cells, fibrinoid
necrosis, villous
immaturity, and
chorangiosis compared
to healthy controls		 - Increased incidence
of fibrinoid necrosis
and chorangiosis