Placental Chorioangioma Diagnosis and Management

Placental chorioangioma is the most common non‐trophoblastic placental tumour, arising from chorionic vasculature and typically detected on routine ultrasound. Small lesions are often asymptomatic, whereas tumours exceeding 4 cm may act as arteriovenous shunts and provoke a spectrum of maternal and fetal complications, including polyhydramnios, preterm labour, fetal anaemia, non-immune hydrops fetalis and intrauterine growth restriction. Prenatal diagnosis relies on high‐resolution ultrasonography, with colour Doppler flowmetry confirming a highly vascular mass. Magnetic resonance imaging may aid differential diagnosis in complex presentations. Management is guided by tumour size, gestational age and severity of complications. Expectant surveillance with serial ultrasound and Doppler assessments suffices for smaller tumours with stable haemodynamics. Interventions for giant lesions include amniodrainage, intrauterine blood transfusion, percutaneous embolisation of feeding vessels or laser coagulation, often requiring a multidisciplinary team. Delivery planning balances maternal–fetal risks against gestational maturity. Histopathology confirms benign angiomatous proliferation, with endothelial markers such as CD31 and CD34. Long-term prognosis for surviving neonates is generally favourable, though perinatal mortality remains elevated for the largest tumours. Recent advances focus on standardising surveillance protocols and refining minimally invasive therapies to mitigate haemodynamic disturbance.

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Placental Chorioangioma Diagnosis and Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in placental chorioangioma diagnosis and management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Chorioangioma: A benign vascular tumour of the placenta arising from chorionic vasculature.

Doppler ultrasound: Imaging technique that assesses blood flow velocity and direction within vessels.

Hydrops fetalis: Pathological fluid accumulation in fetal compartments, often secondary to high-output cardiac failure.

Arteriovenous shunt: Direct connection between arterial and venous systems, potentially causing volume overload.

Polyhydramnios: Excess amniotic fluid, frequently associated with placental vascular lesions.

References

1. Placental chorioangioma and pregnancy outcome: a ten-year retrospective study in a tertiary referral centre. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2023).
2. Multiple giant placental chorioangioma: A case report. Clinical Case Reports (2024).
3. A rare case of a giant placental chorioangioma with favorable outcome. Pan African Medical Journal (2020).