Assessment of the Placental Cord Insertion Using 3‐Dimensional Ultrasound at the Time of the Structural Fetal Survey

Abstract

Objectives The influence of placental morphologic characteristics on pregnancy outcomes is poorly understood. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship of the distance of the placental cord insertion from the placental edge (PCI‐D) with associated placental characteristics as well as birth outcomes.

Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of nulliparous women with singleton gestations undergoing obstetric ultrasound examinations between 14 and 23 weeks’ gestation with a cervical length of greater than 3.0 cm who delivered between 24 and 42 weeks. A 3‐dimensional volume of the placenta was evaluated. The PCI‐D was obtained with Virtual Organ computer‐aided analysis software (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). Generalized linear regression and generalized additive models were fitted to explore the associations between the PCI‐D in relation to demographic and clinical characteristics.

Results A total of 216 pregnancies were included in the analysis. The PCI‐D did not correlate with maternal age, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, or 5‐minute Apgar score. Although not statistically significant, the birth weight z score (P = .09) was associated with a longer PCI‐D, and gravidity was associated with a shorter PCI‐D (P = .10). A low‐lying placenta or placenta previa was associated with a longer PCI‐D (P = .03).

Conclusions The PCI‐D is associated with a low placental position in the second trimester. These data are helpful for understanding placental development. The PCI‐D may be associated with pregnancy‐related factors such as birth weight and multigravidity. More research is required to evaluate the effects of pregnancy‐related factors on the PCI‐D and the effect of the PCI‐D on pregnancy outcomes.