Complete Hydatidiform Mole

Complete mole, also known as “classic” hydatidiform mole, is the prototype of molar gestation bearing the traditional description of “hydatid,” for example, grape-like structures at the time of evacuation, a term that was used throughout the last century. The historical tale of “365 babies” of the Dutch’s Countess Margaret of Henneberg (Chap. 1) clearly documented a case of a well-developed complete mole some 700 years ago. It is important to note that essentially all meaningful epidemiology data of hydatidiform mole in the literature have been based on studies of complete mole rather than partial moles. Epidemiological data on partial hydatidiform mole have been at best unreliable, largely because of significant diagnostic inaccuracy in practice, even at present time (see Chap. 1).