Placental findings among newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

To determine if pre-specified placental abnormalities among newborns with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) differ compared to newborns admitted to a NICU without encephalopathy. Retrospective case–control study of newborns with HIE (2006–2014) and controls matched for birth year, gestational age, weight, and gender. One pathologist reviewed archived placental sections using pre-specified criteria. Sixty-seven newborns had HIE, 46 had available placentas and were matched with 92 controls. HIE had more maternal vascular malperfusion (46% vs 25%, p = 0.02), fetal vascular malperfusion (13% vs 0%, p  90% of primary diagnoses. Pre-specified placental lesions identified nearly all abnormalities in HIE and represented both acute and chronic processes.