A study on the correlation of placental characteristics and the onset of selective intrauterine growth restriction

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between placental characteristics and the onset of selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) and to explore the influence of placental characteristics on sIUGR onset. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at our hospital from April 2013 to April 2019. The pregnancy data and placental perfusion of 114 sIUGR patients who had received conservative treatment and delivered in our hospital were included. Correlation analysis was conducted between the total diameter of placental anastomoses, placental territory discordance, umbilical cord insertion point distance ratio, and the onset time of sIUGR. RESULTS: The prevalence of AA anastomoses was 88.6% (101/114), with an average total diameter of 2.8 ± 1.5 mm, the prevalence of AV anastomoses was 93.9% (107/114), with an average diameter of 5.4 ± 3.6 mm, and the prevalence of VV anastomoses was 18.4% (21/114), with an average diameter of 4.0 ± 1.9 mm. There was a significant negative correlation between the time of sIUGR onset and the placental territory discordance ratio with a Spearman correlation coefficient of −0.306 (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The larger the placental territory discordance, the earlier onset time of sIUGR.