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Intrauterine growth retardation: clinical and experimental

Version 2 2024-06-05, 02:02
Version 1 2019-01-16, 14:54
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-05, 02:02 authored by JS Robinson, J Falconer, Julie OwensJulie Owens
Intrauterine growth retardation is a common and potentially hazardous problem for the fetus. Despite this, the obstetric factors associated with growth retardation have changed little in the last twenty years. Some of the other factors, the so-called behavioural factors should be amenable to correction through education or changing social circumstances. Experimental studies presented here support the clinical observations that the growth retarded fetus is often malnourished and/or hypoxaemic. Restriction of placental growth results in fetal growth failure and these fetuses are chronically hypoxaemic and hypoglycaemic. Furthermore the apparent margin of safety between the delivery to and consumption by the fetus is less for the small fetuses. We suggest that this reduction in supply results in the endocrine changes and that these in turn, modulate the pattern of fetal growth.

History

Journal

Acta paediatrica

Volume

s319

Pagination

135-142

Location

Chichester, Eng.

ISSN

0300-8843

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

1985, Wiley

Publisher

Wiley