[Relationships between the HPL determination in maternal serum and the condition of the associated placental villous trophoblast].

Relationships between the determination of human placental lactogen in materna serum and the condition of associated placental villous trophoblasts.--Taking as a starting point both qualitative and quantitative differences in the composition of placental villous trophoblasts subsequent to risk pregnancies, the proportions of different qualities of syncytium and average numbers of Langhans' cells per field of view in 24 placentas of neonates of the 37th to 41st weeks of pregnancy are compared with the corresponding maternal serum HPL (human placental lactogen) values. The significantly lower proportion of mature syncytium determined in the case of a low HPL value as well as the result of linear regression analysis are indicative of a dependence of maternal serum values for HPL upon the proportion of mature syncytium. This particular result is also interpreted by the authors as confirming the view that "mature" syncytium can be considered to be "functional" syncytium. Like other investigators, the present authors should also point out the importance of the total mass of placenta which can compensate for lower proportions of functional syncytium in individual resorption villi. Whereas there are clearly evident relationships between the maternal estriol values and the condition of placental villous trophoblasts, such relationships could not be observed in our material for oxytocinase and HSAP.