Chronic villitis of unknown aetiology and decidual maternal vasculopathies in sustained chronic hypertension.

Ninety-six full-term placentae were examined in the study. Of the 96 pregnancies, 72 were normotensive and 24 were complicated by hypertension. Of the 24 hypertensive pregnancies, 19 patients had chronic hypertension only, and 5 had chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia. The birth weights of babies were over the 25th centile of our ponderal curve in all cases. Chronic villitis of unknown aetiology (CVUE) was found in 25% of control placentae and in 26% of placentae from chronic hypertension without preeclampsia. Eighty percent of placentae of chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia presented the lesion. The incidence of CVUE was significantly higher in the latter than in the other groups. The same was observed about the proportion of inflamed villi. A higher frequency of maternal vascular lesions was observed in placentae of chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia. Similar incidence and severity of the above-mentioned placental lesions have been recently described in preeclamptic pregnancies. These results suggest that these lesions (CVUE and maternal vasculopathies) are related to preeclampsia and not only to maternal hypertension.