Centrality of the Umbilical Cord Insertion in a Human Placenta Influences the Placental Efficiency☆

Abstract 

Goal

We assess the effect on placental efficiency of the non-centrality of the umbilical cord insertion and on chorionic vascular distribution to determine if cord centrality measurably affects placental function as reflected in birth weight.

Materials and methods

1225 placentas collected from a prospective cohort had digital photographs of the chorionic plate. Of these, 1023 were term, 44 had velamentous cord insertion and 12 had missing clinical data, leaving N=967 (94.5%) cases for analysis. Mathematical tools included a dynamical stochastic growth model of placental vasculature, Fourier analysis of radial parameterization of placental perimeters, and relative chorionic vascular density (a measure of “gaps” in the vascular coverage) derived from manual tracings of the fetal chorionic surface images. Bivariate correlations used Pearson's or Spearman's rank correlation as appropriate, with p<0.05 considered significant.

Results

The correlation of the standard deviation of the placental radius (a measure of non-roundness of the placenta) with cord displacement was negligible (r=0.01). Empirical simulations of the vascular growth model with cord displacement showed no deviation from a normal round-to-oval placental shape for cord displacement of 10–50% of placental radius. The correlation of the metabolic scaling exponent β with cord displacement measured by Fourier analysis is 0.17 (p<0.001). Analysis of the chorionic vascular density in traced images shows a high correlation of the relative vascular distance with cord displacement: 0.59 in one set of 12 images, and 0.20 in the other set of 28 images.

Conclusion

Non-central cord insertion has little measurable correlation with placental shape in observed or simulated placentas. However, placentas with a displaced cord show a markedly reduced transport efficiency, reflected in a larger value of β and hence in a smaller birth weight for a given placental weight. Placentas with a non-central cord insertion have a sparser chorionic vascular distribution, as measured by the relative vascular distance. Even if typically a placenta with a non-central insertion is of a normal round shape, its vasculature is less metabolically effective. These findings demonstrate another method by which altered placental structure may affect the fetal environment, influencing birth weight and potentially contributing to later health risks.

Keywords: Umbilical cord insertion, Metabolic scaling exponent, Vascular architecture