Does Histologic Chorioamnionitis Correspond to Clinical Chorioamnionitis?

• Published in: Journal of reproductive medicine Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 25 - 28
• Main Authors: HELLER, Debra S, RIMPEL, Lisa Howard, SKUMICK, Joan H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Saint-Louis, MO Science 2008
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Chorioamnionitis - diagnosis; Chorioamnionitis - pathology; Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation; Diagnosis, Differential; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Disorders; Female; Gestational Age; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Lymphocyte Count; Medical sciences; Placenta - pathology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - pathology; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Puerperal Infection - diagnosis; Puerperal Infection - pathology; Retrospective Studies; infectious; Chorioamnionitis; Pregnancy disorders; Gynecology; chorioamnionitis; placenta; pregnancy complications; Histology; Placenta diseases; Obstetrics; Pregnancy; Infection; Fetal diseases; Placenta; Delivery disorders; Complication; Female
• ISSN: 0024-7758; 1943-3565

To evaluate the degree to which histologic chorioamnionitis, a frequent finding in placentas submitted for histopathologic evaluation, correlates with clinical indicators of infection in the mother.
A retrospective review was performed on 52 cases with a histologic diagnosis of acute chorioamnionitis from 2,051 deliveries at University Hospital, Newark, from January 2003 to July 2003. Third-trimester placentas without histologic chorioamnionitis (n = 52) served as controls. Cases and controls were selected sequentially. Maternal medical records were reviewed for indicators of maternal infection.
Histologic chorioamnionitis was significantly associated with the usage of antibiotics (p = 0.0095) and a higher mean white blood cell count (p = 0.018). The presence of 1 or more clinical indicators was significantly associated with the presence of histologic chorioamnionitis (p = 0.019).
Histologic chorioamnionitis is a reliable indicator of infection whether or not it is clinically apparent.