Cambios degenerativos coriónicos asociados a malformaciones fetales del tubo neural durante el tercer trimestre del embarazo

objective: to evaluate the features of placental villi, blood vessels and intervillous space. methods: descriptive, of observation, qualitative-quantitative, retrospective and no probabilistic sampling study of 6 placentas associated to neural fetal malformation, analysed with light microscopy and compared with the same number of placentas no associated to neural tube defects as controls. the results were analysed with exact trend test for correlated binary data. setting: laboratory of electron microscopy, ciadana, health sciences faculty, maracay. results: were observed syncytial knots, fibrinoid change, trophoblastic necrosis, edema, stromal fibrosis, thrombosis, inflammation of wall vessels, 4-6 number of vessels by section, intraluminal calcification, damage of wall vessels, intervillous thrombosis and minimal presence of inflammatory cells. there were significative differences between both groups in necrosis and edema. conclusion: in the study group a large proportion of edema and trophoblastic necrosis would eliminate villi whose placentas presented placental insufficiency indicating that those changes or causal agents of fetal neural defects are the same that are producing placental maldevelopment.