Effect of cigarette smoke on human placenta morphometry

Objective: To evaluate the placental alterations in smoking mothers. Method: A case-control stereologic study of 10 placentas from smokers and 10 from non-smokers. Result: The authors found a significant increase in stromal volume density, villus size and trophoblast thickness, and a significant decrease in villus and vessel surface densities, total surfaces, and number/mm(2) histological field in the smokers' placenta. Conclusions: The alterations found in the smokers' placenta greatly contribute to impairing the exchanges between maternal and fetal blood. (C) 1998 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.