This book is based on a one-day course to update general pathologists' knowledge of the burgeoning field of perinatal pathology. The heavy emphasis on morphology and histopathology will limit its appeal to pediatricians, but many of the chapters will be of interest to neonatologists and perinatologists. Most of the 12 sections were written by a pediatrics pathologist who is an acknowledged expert on the topic in question.
Of particular interest to pediatricians is Blanc's chapter on infection and the placenta, in which he reviews the various routes of intrauterine infection. He contradicts the widely held concept that membranes must be ruptured for ascending infection, and presents new concepts of ascending decidual infection. Organisms both common and unusual are then considered individually, including viruses, mycoplasmas, and those not ordinarily regarded as pathogens.
Rosenberg, Kohl, and Vogler's contribution on viral infections of the fetus and neonate begins with an unusually readable discussion