[The significance of pathological examination of the placenta in exploring the causes of intrauterine fetal death].

The results of pathological examination of 68 placental from intrauterine fetal death during 1982. 4-1989.12 is presented. The shortest time interval between the death of the fetus and the expulsion of the placenta was 14 hours, and the longest was 1 month. The pathological findings may be divided into 5 classes: trophoblastic; stromal; villous net; cord and others. Causes of fetal death could be identified in 65 cases (96%), in which 36 cases (53%) were due to the factors of placenta and its appendix. It was suggested that the pathological examination of placenta might give the clue to the cause of fetal demise.