National Society of Histotechnology
Workshop #49: The Placenta: To Know Me Is To Love Me
September 18th, 2000
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Below are the questions and answers for the quiz distributed during the workshop. (With page in "The Placenta: To Know Me Is To Love Me" textbook where answer can be found, unless otherwise specified.)
- 1. At term, the placenta usually weighs and measures:
- a. 400 grams, 18 x 18 x 3 cm
- b. 470 GRAMS, 20 x 20 x 2 CM (pg. 61)
- c. 550 grams, 24 x 20 x 1.4 cm
- d. 350 grams, 20 x 14 x 2 cm
- 2. "Battledore" placenta refers to a:
- a. right twisted umbilical cord
- b. velamentously inserted umbilical cord
- c. MARGINALLY INSERTED UMBILICAL CORD (pg. 61)
- d. a cord that has been torn off the fetal surface during manual placental removal
- 3. Match the following:
- a. Decidua vera: 4 - decidua in late pregnancy lining uterus and overlying membranes
- b. Decidua capsularis: 2 - decidua attached to the membranes
- c. Decidua parietalis: 3 - decidua lining the uterus
- d. Decidua basalis: 1 - decidua underlying the placenta (pg. 70)
- 4. The placenta may be green due to:
- a. prenatal meconium discharge
- b. hemosiderin pigment associated with old hemorrhage
- c. severe ascending infections
- d. ALL OF THE ABOVE (pg. 40)
- 5. There are twice as many veins as arteries on the fetal surface of the placenta.
- True or FALSE (pg. 72)
- 6. Right twisted umbilical cords out number left twisted umbilical cords because more people are right handed.
- True or FALSE (pg. 62)
- 7. Under which circumstances is the Wharton's jelly more likely to be shrunken, contracted (lesser diameter umbilical cord)? (circle all that apply)
- a. with preterm delivery
- b. AT TERM (pg. 61)
- c. POSTDATES
- d. in association with polyhydramnios
- e. IN ASSOCIATION WITH OLIGOHYDRAMNIOS
- 8. Single umbilical artery (SUA/two vessel umbilical cord), is most often associated with which of the following congenital anomalies?
- a. tracheo-esophageal fistula
- b. sirenomelia
- c. renal dysplasia or agenesis
- d. OVER 100 MALFORMATIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SUA AND NO ONE ANOMALY PREDOMINATES (pg. 66)
- 9. Candida/yeast infection is easily identified on the umbilical cord.
- TRUE or False (pg. 65)
- 10. Which of the following is true?
- a. meconium may be discharged in response to fetal distress
- b. meconium may not be discharged in response to fetal distress
- c. meconium is thought to be a contributing cause to the development of cerebral palsy
- d. ALL OF THE ABOVE (pp. 158-159)
- 11. Which of the following is not true of abruptio placentae?
- a. THE PLACENTAL PARENCHYMA IS TORN AND FRAGMENTED AT THE SITE OF ABRUPTION (pp. 3, 81)
- b. the placental maternal surface may show nothing
- c. the placental maternal surface may show adherent rubbery red to stringy brown blood clot
- d. is often due to damaged endometrial spiral artery
- e. the placental parenchyma overlying the abruption often infarcts
- 12. Placental tissue requires 24 hours of fixation before tissue processing, because artifacts produced by poor fixation are a major reason pathologists may experience difficulty interpreting some microscopic findings.
- TRUE or False (pg. 53)
- 13. Which of the following are types of placenta extrachorialis? (circle all that apply)
- a. Subchorial closing ring
- b. CIRCUMMARGINATE (pp. 58-59)
- c. CIRCUMVALLATE
- d. Succenturiate
- e. All of the above
- 14. Which of the following is not a variation of normal seen on the term placenta?
- a. Squamous metaplasia on the fetal surface
- b. Right twisted umbilical cord
- c. Microcalcifications on the maternal surface
- d. Intervillous thrombi in the parenchyma
- e. LARGER THAN 3 CM INFARCT IN THE CENTRAL PARENCHYMA (pg. 9)
- 15. The placenta is not a messy specimen to examine.
- True or FALSE
References
- Schuler-Maloney D, Lee S: The Placenta: To Know Me Is To Love Me. A reference guide for gross placental examination, published 1998 by DSM PathWorks, Inc., St. Mary's, IA.