Lipoma of the placenta

Excerpt

A 35-year-old G3P2 was delivered at 35 + 5 weeks of gestation by intrapartum cesarean section due to an abnormal cardiotocogram while in the latent phase of a spontaneous-onset preterm labor. A female neonate was delivered with birthweight of 2400 g (50th centile), Apgar score 8/9 at 1 and 5 min, clear amniotic fluid, and cord blood pH values of 7.18 (arterial) and 7.26 (venous). The neonatal course was uneventful. The patient’s obstetrical history involved two previous cesarean sections and she was opting for a vaginal birth after cesarean section in the current pregnancy. She was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome since her second pregnancy for which she was currently receiving low-molecular weight heparin and low-dose aspirin. In the index pregnancy, she developed gestational diabetes mellitus that was diet controlled. Pre-pregnancy body mass index was 30.8 kg/m² and the weight gain by the time of delivery was 8.5 kg. Fetal growth was uncompromised during the course of gestation. There were no abnormal or suspicious sonographic findings throughout all ultrasound examinations conducted during pregnancy that were indicative of any placental lesion (Fig. 1). Following delivery of the newborn, routine visual and manual inspection of the placenta in the operating room revealed a normal sized unremarkable placenta. However, partially protruding from within the parenchyma there was a well-circumscribed, yellowish, soft-palpable nodule measuring 2 × 2 cm (Fig. 1), that was consistent with a placental lipoma.

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