Normal term placenta (human)

(A) Left (fetal surface): 30-90 cm long umbilical cord (1), remnant of ruptured transparent amnion (2→) , near the eccentric attachment of the umbilical cord to the chorion plate ramification of the umbilical vessels (3) (arteries are smaller than the veins). (B) Right (maternal surface). The surface has a rough cobblestone-like structure due to the fetal cotyledons, separated by grooves (arrow heads▼▼) formerly occupied by placental septae. (By courtesy of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Center, St. Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands)