A pilot study of placental membrane lucency

To the Editor,
A tool to identify placental membrane translucency more easily may allow a quantitative measure and assist in selection of placentas for histological and microbiological study, particularly in the diagnosis of amnionitis. This would be useful in limited resource settings. Most experts in placental studies contend that all placentas should be examined initially by birth attendants.1,2 However, assessment of placental membranes is subjective and difficult, especially in placentas with otherwise normal gross morphology.3