To the Editor
We read with interest the article entitled “Placental Pathology in COVID-19.” 1 We would like to call your attention to our series,2 which was published online on May 12, 2020. We found that half of our COVID-19 positive cases showed evidence of fetal vascular malperfusion. We believe readers should be aware of the range of findings.
The Authors’ Reply
We regret not including the correspondents’ publication in our article and are pleased with the opportunity to recognize their work. Unfortunately, we become aware of the study by Baergen and Heller only after our study was published.1,2 Like Baergen and Heller, we found increased rates of features of fetal vascular malperfusion, but in our study they were not significantly above background. It is interesting that Baergen and Heller did not find increased decidual vasculopathy, as we did. As additional data are collected, population differences or other factors explaining these different findings may become apparent. Having several groups working on this vital topic is important to best inform the care of pregnant women during this pandemic.
References
- 1. Shanes ED, Mithal LB, Otero S, et al. . Placental pathology in COVID-19. Am J Clin Pathol. 2020;154:23-32. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Baergen RN, Heller DS. Placental pathology in Covid-19 positive mothers: preliminary findings. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2020;23:177-180. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]