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Chorangioma

Etiology: • unknown? • hamartomas of primitive chorionic mesenchyme ? • benign tumor of fetal blood vessels?

Pathogenesis: • unknown

Epidemiology: • occurs in approximately 1% of pregnancies

General Gross Description: • when arise from villous tissue-usually close to the fetal surface, may bulge from placental surface • can arise from umbilical cord • well circumscribed • cut surfaces are fleshy, congested (red) • if infarcted, cut surface is tan

General Microscopic Description: • external surface of tumor is covered by syncytiotrophoblasts • tumor resembles overgrown villus with extensive proliferation of vessels • may be infarcted with loss of nuclear detail

Clinical Correlations: • small tumors--asymptomatic • large tumors--associated with hydramnios, antepartum hemorrhage, AV shunts that can lead to fetal heart failure, consumptive coagulopathy, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia

References: •Benirschke,Kurt and Kaufmann,Peter Pathology of the Human Placenta, 2nd edition, New York: Springer-Verlag, 1990, p841-846. •Cunningham et al Williams Obstetrics, 19th edition Norwalk: Appleton and Lange, 1993, p759.