Placental cyst
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Weerakkody Y, Jones J, Knipe H, et al. Placental cyst. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 08 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-13479
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rID:
13479
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Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.
View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures
Last revised:
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At the time the article was last revised Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
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Systems:
Tags:
Synonyms:
- Placental cysts
Placental cyst refers to a simple cystic lesion that develops in relation to the placenta.
On this page:
Epidemiology
Their estimated prevalence is at 2-20% of all pregnancies.
Pathology
Location
They can be categorized by location:
- within the placental tissue (placental septal cysts)
- under the fetal plate (subchorionic / surface cyst)
Radiographic features
Ultrasound
May be seen as an anechoic rounded/ovoid cyst in association with placental tissue. Color Doppler interrogation shows no evidence of any vascular flow.
Complications
- large cysts (greater than 4.5 cm) or multiple cysts may be a causative factor in intrauterine growth restriction especially when in close proximity to the umbilical cord insertion site 1,3
Differential diagnosis
- large umbilical cord cyst near the site of cord insertion
- subamniotic hemorrhage
See also
References
- 1. Brown DL, Disalvo DN, Frates MC et-al. Placental surface cysts detected on sonography: histologic and clinical correlation. J Ultrasound Med. 2002;21 (6): 641-6. J Ultrasound Med (full text) - Pubmed citation
- 2. Elsayes KM, Trout AT, Friedkin AM et-al. Imaging of the placenta: a multimodality pictorial review. Radiographics. 29 (5): 1371-91. doi:10.1148/rg.295085242 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Raga F, Ballester MJ, Osborne NG et-al. Subchorionic placental cyst: a cause of fetal growth retardation--ultrasound and color-flow Doppler diagnosis and follow-up. J Natl Med Assoc. 1996;88 (5): 285-8. - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 4. Shipley CF, Nelson GH. Prenatal diagnosis of a placental cyst: comparison of postnatal biochemical analyses of cyst fluid, amniotic fluid, cord serum, and maternal serum. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1993;168 (1 Pt 1): 211-3. - Pubmed citation
- 5. Prayer D. Fetal MRI. Springer Verlag. (2011) ISBN:3540732705. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
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