Odendaal H, et al. - Researchers conducted a subset study of a larger study where the effect of alcohol exposure during pregnancy on stillbirths was studied in order to assess the placental histology and autopsy findings in pregnancies where fetal demise happened before a gestational age of 22 weeks. They identfied 14 in which 13 had an autopsy and 12 had a histological examination of the placenta. Placental abruption was identified to be the most prevalent histological abnormality, which was seen in 6 miscarriages, occasionally on its own, or in combination with maternal vascular malperfusion or acute chorioamnionitis. Maternal vascular malperfusion was identified to be the second most frequent finding; it was identified in five placentas, alone or in combination with other pathology. Acute chorioamnionitis, the third most frequent pathology, was evident in four placentas, in combination or alone. Diffuse chronic villitis due to cytomegalovirus infection and early amnion rupture with anhydramnios and cord obstruction were the other causes. The analysis revealed no significant differences between the causes of fetal demise at the end of the second trimester and causes of stillbirth. They identify using placental histology in late second trimester miscarriages as valuable to try to identify the cause of demise.