Placental Vascularity in Stillbirth V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Evaluation of Abnormal Placental Vascularisation in Stillbirth
IRAS ID
168587
Contact name
Alexander Heazell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 0 days
Research summary
The frequency of stillbirth in the UK has remained relatively constant for two decades affecting approximately 1 in 200 births after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Women who experience a stillbirth are at increased risk of complications and poor outcome in subsequent pregnancies. Establishing a cause for stillbirth can assist with the management of subsequent pregnancies with aim of preventing recurrent complications. Using current classification systems for stillbirths, up to 30% are attributed to placental dysfunction. Women with stillbirths relating to the placenta often have little understanding of how to prevent complications in subsequent pregnancies. We hope that better understanding of changes in stillbirths will ultimately allow us to prevent such deaths.
The placenta is normally responsible for transferring oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby. In cases of stillbirth several different features have been described in the placenta. One of the features that has been associated with stillbirth is degeneration of the placental blood vessels, known as avascular villi. We wish to investigate placental tissue given with consent from post mortem investigations of stillbirths from the Manchester Children's Hospital Pathology Department. We will investigate placental tissue from stillbirth of various causes to assess whether avascular villi were a feature. We will assess the severity of the changes in stillbirth by comparing them to placentas from live births (with and without complications). Furthermore, we will look at the effect of growth factors on the degeneration and maintenance of blood vessels, and their relationship to avascular villi.
We hope that the findings of this research will enable us to build a profile that could be used as a predictive tool during pregnancy. Additionally, this research will further our understanding of the complex physiological mechanisms involved in stillbirth. This project is funded by Tommy’s - the baby charity.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0031
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion