Definitions and reporting of placental insufficiency in biomedical journals: a review of the literature.

Placental insufficiency is a major problem worldwide for both mothers and babies. However, we have demonstrated in a review of the biomedical literature, that both the terminology used to describe, and techniques used to measure suboptimal placental function, are remarkably varied and inconsistent in both clinical and scientific studies. We, therefore, present a case for the development of a standardised approach to studying placental insufficiency.