Giant Placental Chorioangioma

I wanted to share my experience with chorioangioma… when I was first diagnosed there went many stories I could find, and some that I found had really unhappy endings.

At a 32 week ultrasound my OB found something he has never seen before and referred me to a high risk doctor. I would be seeing her the following week. Based on information he told me at the initial finding appointment, it didn’t appear to be a placental lake. Google results suggested chorioangioma, which seemed extremely rare for the size it was, and had a lot of scary stories that came along with it. It was a really hard and scary week if waiting. I was an absolute mess.

At my initial high risk appointment, it was found to be around 4.5 centimeters in diameter, and the high risk doctor confirmed she believed it to be a chorioangioma, but that a biopsy post delivery was needed to confirm that. At that time the tumor was not inhibiting baby’s growth, and baby was also showing no signs or heart issues or anemia, common side effects that come along with it. The game plan was to come in for a weekly ultrasound and to keep a very close eye on everything.

At my 36 week ultrasound, the tumor had grown to 6.5 centimeters in diameter, and baby was not doing “practicing breaths” which was a sign it was starting to get distressed in there. I was monitored for another hour and then sent to L&D for an urgent, but not emergency delivery (I was already planning on a C-section). Doctor didn’t want to press our luck and thought it would be safest for baby to be on the outside. No steroid shot for lung development was needed.