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Spontaneous abortions in the first trimester of gravidity represent a clinically significant problem that can affect up to 15% of recognized pregnancies. The causes of early pregnancy loss are very heterogeneous and include genetic, environmental and immunological factors. Although the pathologist's main task is to exclude molar pregnancy, in some cases conventional histological examination can also contribute to the elucidation of the cause of miscarriage and the management of subsequent pregnancies, especially in the case of lesions with a high risk of recurrence that may lead to habitual abortion.

Hydatidiform mole is the most common form of gestational trophoblastic disease. It is an abnormally formed placental tissue with characteristic changes in karyotype, arising in fertilization disorders. The presence of abundant paternal genetic information plays a key role in the pathogenesis of complete and partial hydatidiform moles. These lesions are characterized by a relatively wide spectrum of morphological changes that may not be fully expressed, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. In addition, some changes can be observed in non-molar gravidities, which, unlike hydatidiform moles, lack any risk of malignant transformation. Although conventional histological examination still plays a key role in the diagnosis, it should be supplemented by other methods that reliably differentiate individual lesions. Accurate diagnosis of molar gravidities is important not only for determining the correct therapeutic approach, but the obtained data may also contribute to further research of these pathological entities.

Postpartum haemorrhage is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The pathologist encounters only a limited spectrum of causes leading to postpartum haemorrhage. The most common causes are retained placenta and placental site subinvolution. Both of these lesions can be diagnosed from material obtained by uterine curettage. Morbidly adherent placenta (placenta accreta spectrum) is a less frequent subject of investigation, the diagnosis of which can be reliably established only on the basis of histological examination of uterine specimens after hysterectomy.

Complete and partial hydatidiform moles are abnormal products of conception that can be identified by clinical, ultrasonographic, morphologic, histologic, and genetic methods. The diagnosis is usually confirmed only by histological examination. However, accurate diagnosis based on morphological criteria is difficult and some studies have shown that misclassifications are common, even when analysed by highly experienced pathologists. Misdiagnosis may mean that women are either not included in adequate β-hCG follow-up with the risk that the hydatidiform mole progresses to choriocarcinoma or, conversely, are included in follow-up unnecessarily. A reliable complementary method to pathological interpretation may be genetic analysis of the conceptus to eliminate the diagnostic dilemma by distinguishing non-molar spontaneous abortions from hydatidiform moles and defining the type of hydatidiform mole. The aim of our short paper is to introduce the routine molecular analysis used in our laboratory to a wider range of clinical pathologists.

Umbilical cord hemangioma is a rare tumor that can be associated with significant fetal and perinatal complications. Although usually described as a single anomaly, sometimes these tumors are reported in association with other vascular lesions. We report an unusual case of simultaneous occurrence of two umbilical cord hemangiomas and vascular malformation of the transverse mesocolon in a stillborn fetus with hydrops. To our knowledge, this is the first report of two simultaneously occurring umbilical cord hemangiomas. Moreover, presence of associated vascular malformation of transverse mesocolon could support the hypothesis of underlying predisposition to the development of vascular tumors.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy can cause a number of serious complications, including fetal growth restriction or intrauterine fetal death. It appears that transplacental transmission of infection is rare and the arising complications are due to damage of placental parenchyma. The aim of this article is to summarize the results of recent publications dealing with placental changes in COVID-19 disease, with special consideration to the morphology of the newly defined SARS-CoV-2 placentitis.

Placental mesenchymal dysplasia is a rare placental lesion characterized by placentomegaly, vascular abnormalities and formation of cystic structures in the placental parenchyma. It can be associated with various genetic abnormalities, fetal growth restriction or intrauterine fetal demise. Placental mesenchymal dysplasia needs to be distinguished from its main differential diagnosis, partial hydatidiform mole. The aim of this article is to provide readers with a basic overview of the morphology and differential diagnosis of this pathological entity.

In addition to the well-known group of inflammations of infectious etiology, placental inflammations arising on immunological basis are also encountered. The incidence of the latter far exceeds the group of infectious lesions of the placenta caused mainly by microorganisms of the TORCH group. Given the current knowledge of the possible complications of these inflammations, their precise diagnosis becomes more important not only from the clinicopathological point of view, but also because of potential forensic consequences. The aim of this article is to provide readers with a basic overview of the morphology, classification, presumed pathogenesis and clinical aspects of these entities.

Cavernous hemangiomas are benign tumours of mesodermal origin. Even though various localizations of hemangioma have been described in the literature, its occurrence in the greater omentum is very rare. Only symptomatic hemangiomas are indicated for surgical treatment. There are case reports presenting resection or surgical removal of the greater omentum with hemangioma because of mechanical syndrome, consumption coagulopathy, bleeding, infection or suspicion of a malignancy. This article presents a case report of a patient operated on for a suspicion of carcinomatosis of the greater omentum. Histological examination found hemangiomatosis in the resected greater omentum.

Objective: To inform gynecologists-obstetricians about the problems associated with pathological examination of placentas, with special regard to the possibility of crucial role of complete and relevant clinical data in establishing the correct pathological diagnosis., Design: Case report and overview of the problems associated with examination of placentas by pathologist., Setting: Sikl´s Institute of Pathology, Faculty Hospital and Medical Faculty Pilzen of the Charles University in Prague; Biopticka laborator, s.r.o., Pilzen., Methods: Own observation in the setting of routine pathological examination., Results: Case report representing a typical complication resulting from insufficient interdisciplinary communication describes a case of unsatisfactory result of pathological investigation of placenta due to the missing clinical information about complications of the late phase of pregnancy which eventually led to intrauterine death of the fetus. Due to the absence of the clinical information of paramount importance, the initial investigation of placenta was untargeted and thus imperfect. Therefore, the primary investigation of the placenta did not reveal pathological changes responsible for the complications of pregnancy. It was only the revision of material necessitated by the information additionally conveyed by gynecologist-obstetrician leading to the final correct pathological diagnosis, which even averted the possibility of serious forensic consequences., Conclusion: The basic prerequisite for proper pathological examination of placenta is sharing the available clinical data with the pathologist performing the morphological investigation, mainly focusing on complications of pregnancy. Lack of such information causes examination of placenta more difficult and sometimes even unable to interpret, as the interpretation of morphological changes of placenta have to interpreted in the context of clinical data on the course of pregnancy. Regarding the extreme emotional and possibly even legal consequences of lethal complications of pregnancy or delivery, the correct pathological diagnosis may be of crucial importance.

Hamartoma of mature cardiac myocytes (HMCM) is a rare benign pseudoneoplastic myocardial lesion. We describe a case of 39-year-old Bulgarian woman living in the Czech Republic, who died because of rupture of anterior communicating artery aneurysm, and severe bronchopneumonia. An incidental finding at the autopsy was a whitish unencapsulated and not sharply demarcated tumor of the left ventricle and adjacent area of interventricular septum, which protruded above the plane of section. Microscopically the tumor consisted of various different forms of disorganized hypertrophic mature cardiac myocytes without vacuolization of cytoplasm, focally in a "herringbone" pattern. Dilated venules and thickened intramural coronary arteries, and intervening bands of connective tissue were present between cardiomyocytes in the tumor. Immunohistochemical staining of MIB1 for the detection of proliferative activity was completely negative. No inflammatory infiltration, adipose tissue or calcifications were present in the tumor.