Placenta
Gross / macroscopic variations and conditions
Fetal membranes
Chorionic cysts
Author: Mandolin S. Ziadie, M.D.
Last author update: 1 October 2011
Last staff update: 28 October 2020
Copyright: 2002-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Chorionic cysts placenta
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Etiology | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) descriptionCite this page: Ziadie MS. Chorionic cysts. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/placentacysts.html. Accessed September 21st, 2023.
Definition / general
- Fluid filled spaces in the placental membranes, beneath the chorionic plate or within cell islands or septa
- May be associated with chronic uterine hypoxia (Pediatr Dev Pathol 2011;14:1)
Etiology
- Thought to be due to ischemia and degeneration
Gross description
- When visible grossly, cysts are usually small ( < 3 cm) and bulge into the amnionic cavity from the fetal surface
- Differential diagnosis of grossly visible cysts includes partial moles
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Spaces filled with eosinophilic proteinaceous material and lined by extravillous trophoblastic cells
