Igura K, Zhang X, Takahashi K, et al. Isolation and characterization of mesenchymal progenitor cells from chorionic villi of human placenta. Cytotherapy 2004;6:543-53.
Gases and nutrients move back and forth between the decidua basalis and the fetal veins, by diffusing through the tissue layer of the thin chorionic villi.
Now, despite its name, the small intestine can be as long as 10.5 meters or about 35 feet, with lots of tiny ridges and grooves, each of which projects little finger-like fibers called villi.
The fetal layer of the placenta on the other hand is called the chorion, which is a tissue that has fingerlike projections called chorionic villi which contain tiny fetal arterioles and venules.