Ultrasonic grading of placental maturity and its relation to infant birth weight and placental surface area in hypertensive and normotensive pregnancies

ABSTRACT

Ultrasound placental grading and its relation to infant birth weight and placental surface area was studied prospectively in 50 hypertensive pregnancies and compared with a similar number of normotensive pregnancies. There was no statistically significant difference in placental grading between hypertensive and normotensive pregnancies. Grade III placental changes, especially when they appear before the 36th week of gestation, are associated with a significant reduction in infant birth weight and placental surface area in both hypertensive and normotensive pregnancies