Placental Insufficiency Associated with Hypospadias

This chapter highlights and document morphological and gross-pathological changes of placenta in children with hypospadias and compare with controls. Hypospadias is one of the most common urogenital anomalies in newborn males. It is defined as the combination of the displacement of the urethral opening on the ventral side of the penis, an abnormal ventral curvature of the penis, called "chordee," and an abnormal distribution of the foreskin with a "hood" present dorsally and deficient foreskin ventrally.

This case control study was carried out with data base of the labor registries of the hospital indicated that there were total 3243 male births during this period. All examined for presence /absence of hypospadias by attending pediatrician. Hypospadias was detected in 17 male newborns. Control cases comprised of 68 male newborns without hypospadias of similar gestational age and birth weight collected by cluster sampling.

Total number of male birth during the study period was 3243, in that17 children born with hypospadias. The incidence of hypospadias in our hospital was 0.52%. Placental thickness is closely related to fetal well-being and may be a key factor in perinatal outcome. In this study, all the placentae were of normal thickness because none of the children in the study group were low birth weight. When compared to controls, children with hypospadias had identical gestational ages, birth weights, placental weights, thicknesses, volumes, volume of infarcts, calcification, F.P ratios, and cord lengths. Fetal factors like gestational age, birth weight, placental weight, Feto-placental ratio were not significantly associated with hypospadias. The changes in environmental factors, genetic factors, hormonal levels during pregnancy has been generally regarded as the most possible cause for genital defects including hypospadias. These factors have to be considered further to establish the etiology of hypospadias.