Placental Abnormalities of Congenital Syphilis

Abstract

The increasing sophistication of immunological tests for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis has been paralleled by a conspicuous lack of the placental examination as a means of morphologically confirming this diagnosis. Three recent cases of congenital syphilis showed a triad of placental changes: focal villitis, endovascular and perivascular proliferation in villous vessels, and relative immaturity of villi. Additionally, spirochetes were present. Placental examination has proved valuable in cases of suspected congenital syphilis.