succenturiate

Succenturiate is an adjective meaning having one or more small accessory lobes or appendages. The term derives from Latin succenturiatus, meaning “having a small lobe.”

Used most often in obstetrics, succenturiate describes a placenta that is not a single, uniform mass but consists of a dominant main lobe and one or more separate accessory lobes (succenturiate lobes) connected by blood vessels.

These lobes may be delivered with or after the main placenta; failure to deliver or remove all lobes can leave residual placental tissue, increasing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, infection, and retained products of conception.

Diagnosis is typically by prenatal ultrasound or placental mapping; during delivery, careful examination of the uterine cavity is required to ensure all lobes are delivered.

Management depends on the clinical scenario and may include manual removal, suction curettage, or observation if the lobes are small and well-perfused.

Outside obstetrics, succenturiate can describe plant parts with an additional lobe or appendage, but its use is most common in placental terminology.

See also: succenturiate placenta.