[Cholaemic placentosis--a contribution to metabolic disorders of the placenta].

The deposition of bile substances produces intracellular metabolic disorders in the organs so affected. Since severe cholaemia is rare in pregnancy, similar disorders of the placental cells have been not discussed up to now. We report on morphological observations in a placenta of a stillbirth in the middle of pregnancy. Bile substances are deposited in the syncytiotrophoblast and Hofbauer cells, pointing to the probable function of the Hofbauer cells as macrophages.