AP115 Basic Placental Pathology
2:00–3:30 pm
2.0 CME/SAM CREDITS
The evaluation of placentas can frustrate those without a background in obstetrics and gynecology or perinatal pathology. Keys to making clinically relevant diagnoses include a thorough understanding of the clinical situation, a familiarity with the underlying pathophysiology, and a knowledge of the spectrum of relevant placental lesions. This course will be presented in three parts. The first part will concentrate on considerations prior to viewing microscopic slides including indications for submission, utility of placental examination, techniques of gross examination, and appropriate sampling for histologic examination. The second part will focus on the histopathology of the three major categories of placental pathology: inflammatory, maternal vascular, and fetal vascular. The third part will focus on associations of specific placental processes with adverse clinical outcomes. Following this session, participants may complete a related online self-assessment module, available at cap.org through October 26, 2011.
You will learn to:
- Determine the relevant clinical question prior to placental examination
- Recognize, sample, and interpret abnormalities in each placental compartment
- Group findings into specific patterns of placental injury that correlate with clinical outcome
Faculty
Raymond W. Redline, MD