Chorangioendothelioma of the Placenta: A Myth or Reality?

Abstract

Chorangiomas of the placenta are often discovered incidentally and, although they are not common (1 in 9000 to 1 in 50 000 placentas), these tumors may be found in 0.5% to 1% of carefully examined placentas. The vast majority are of no clinical importance and complications are seen only in association with tumors measuring more than 4 cm in diameter. In contrast, hemangioendotheliomas are vascular tumors with varying grades of malignant potential and hardly ever involve the placenta. Here we describe a large placental chorangioma causing fetal hydrops and demonstrating distinctive intravascular luminal endothelial proliferation and tufting. To the best of our knowledge, this is probably only the second case of a placental hemangioendothelioma reported in the literature.