[Placenta and preeclampsia: relationships between anatomical lesions and clinical symptoms].

The histopathological examination of the placenta is part of the investigational workout since it is a convenient method of examining the central organ involved in the disease process. Characteristic lesions are the vascular placental lesions, and even though their discovery is neither necessary nor specific, they become all the more suggestive of the disease as they are found to be numerous. These vascular lesions are characterized by a microscopic involvement of the basal layer also termed atherosis, associated with uteroplacental artery displasia and its consequences: Infarction, retroplacental haematoma plus all other microscopic injuries of the placenta. These are mainly found in the severe forms of the disease and are usually associated with a placental underdevelopment and IUGR.