Introduction: Recent studies indicate that placental and umbilical cord
morphometry are the factors that may be associated with pregnancy complications, such as
fetal growth restriction. Recently, placental and umbilical cord morphometry have been
performed using digital image analysis. The aim of this study was to determine the
morphometric parameters of placentas using digital image analysis.
Material and methods: The digital imaging analysis of twenty placentas and umbilical
cord were performed using Image Analysis LAS V4.3 software.
Results: The length of the placentas was 191,77 mm ± 35,86 mm (mean ± standard
deviation). The width of the placentas was 166,01 mm ± 19,01 mm. The placental surface area
was 24495,13 mm2 ± 7038,86 mm2
. The insertion of the umbilical cord to the placenta was central
in 50 %, peripheral in 37,50 % and marginal in 12,5 % of analyzed placentas. The average distance
of the umbilical cord insertion from the nearest placental margin was 38,89 mm ± 28,39 mm. The
umbilical cord diameter at the insertion site was 21,16 mm± 5.69 mm. The diameter of the
umbilical cord two centimeters from the insertion site was 12,36 mm ± 3,45 mm.
Conclusion: Digital image analysis enables obtaining the objective morphometric
parameters of the placenta and umbilical cord. The obtained morphometric parameters of the
placenta and umbilical cord for our population are comparable to results of previous studies
and open further placental research directions for the development of the screening method.