hydatidiform mole
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- MedlinePlus - Hydatidiform mole
- MSD Manuals - Consumer Version - Molar Pregnancy
- Medscape - Hydatidiform Mole
- The Royal Women's Hospital - Hydatidiform mole
- Nature - Modern Pathology - Characteristics of hydatidiform moles: analysis of a prospective series with p57 immunohistochemistry and molecular genotyping
- Patient - Hydatidiform Mole
- Western Isles NHS Board - Understanding Hydatidiform Mole
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - Hydatidiform Mole
hydatidiform mole, in human pregnancy, abnormal growth of the chorion, the outermost vascular membrane that in a normal pregnancy would enclose the embryo and ultimately give rise to the placenta. In the situation in which the hydatidiform mole develops, the embryo is usually either absent or dead. The mole, a collection of sacs (cysts) containing a jellylike substance, resembles clusters of grapes and can attain a great size. Most of the moles are expelled in about the 20th week of pregnancy. The moler pregnancy is usually terminated by suction curettage. In a few cases, the mole spreads into the muscle of the uterus and causes bleeding. If this is severe, the obstetrician may remove the mole by surgery. In extremely rare instances, hydatidiform moles develop into choriocarcinomas, which are highly malignant tumours.