<scp>COVID</scp>‐19 during pregnancy: non‐reassuring fetal heart rate, placental pathology and coagulopathy
J. E. Mongula, Maria Wilhelmina Elisabeth Frenken, Gesina van Lijnschoten, N. L. A. Arents, Laura D. de Wit-Zuurendonk, Adinda Kok, Pieter J. van Runnard Heimel, Martina Porath, Simone M. T. A. Goossens
Abstract
We report a case of a pregnant woman with COVID-19 who developed coagulopathy in the absence of severe clinical symptoms. A polymerase chain reaction test of a vaginal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, suggesting a possibility of perinatal transmission. Cesarean delivery was performed because of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate; the placenta showed increased perivillous fibrin deposition and intervillositis. Moreover, placental infection with SARS-CoV-2 was demonstrated by placental immunostaining. The findings suggest a possible relationship between placental fibrin deposition and chronic and acute intervillositis, non-reassuring fetal heart rate and coagulopathy in pregnant women with COVID-19. © 2020 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.