Sixty consecutive curettage specimens from spontaneous abortions submitted at the Surgical Pathology Section of the Philippine General Hospital were examined for gross developmental disorders and microscopic developmental and inflammatory lesions. On gross examination, fourteen of the specimens showed intact chorionic sacs. One case showed a normal embryo (Groupl) and thirteen cases exhibited growth disorganized embryos (CD) divided as follows: three unembryonic chorionic sacs (GDI), nine nodular embryos (GD2) and one cylindrical embryo (GD3). Among the developmental lesions, hydropic villi were the most common (24 percent), followed by dysmorphic villi (22 percent), then villous trophoblastic hyperplasia (12 percent). Non-specific deciduitis was the most common inflammatory lesion (39 percent). Other inflammatory lesions observed were perivillous fibrin (38 percent), intervillositis (24 percent) and chronic villitis (4 percent). Many of the cases showed concurrences of these inflammatory and developmental lesions. This study has shown that gross and microscopic developmental lesions and inflammatory lesions are seen in cases of spontaneous abortions and warrant further investigations.

In: Acta Medica Philippina, 2006 vol. 40 (1) pages: 23-28