Does Placental Weight Affects Perinatal Outcome? A Prospective Case-control Study

Background: Placenta plays a very important role in the growth and development of fetus. Objective: To know the correlation between placental weight and perinatal outcome in term antenatal women. Methods: Present prospective case-control study was conducted in the rural tertiary center of Northern India over one year (January-December 2018) on 1,118 term (≥37-≤42 weeks) antenatal women with singleton pregnancy fulfilling inclusion criteria with 559 women with high-risk pregnancy as cases and 559 low-risk pregnant women as controls. Placental weight, birth weight was measured immediately after delivery and compared between the two groups along with gestation, parity, fetal gender, and neonatal outcome. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22 version. Results: Mean placental weight [481.98±67.83 gm vs. 499.47±59.59 gm (p=.000)] and birth weight [2.68±0.53 Kg vs. 2.88±0.4 Kg (p=.000)] was significantly lower in high risk as compared to lowrisk participants, whereas placental birth weight ratio was higher in high-risk cases [18.35±2.37 vs. 17.41±1.38 (p=.000)] respectively. Placental weight was positively correlated with birth weight and placental weight and birth weight increased with increasing gestation in both cases and controls. Male neonates had higher placental weight [492.74±68.24 gm vs. 488±58.8 gm (p=0.224)] and birth weight [2.81±0.5 Kg vs. 2.74±0.45 Kg (p=0.033)] as compared to females. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission was significantly associated with low placental and birth weight (p=.000). Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between placental weight, birth weight and neonatal outcome, hence placental weight can be used as an indirect indicator of intrauterine fetal growth.