Local regulation of the uterine blood flow by the umbilical circulation.
Observations were made of the responses of the uterine blood flow in the near-term pregnancy to occlusion of the umbilical circulation to a few cotyledons of the near-term sheep placenta and in one placenta of the multiparous rabbit pregnancy. It was found that the uterine blood flow declined to 67% of its predicted value 1 day after umbilical ligation in the sheep placenta and to 61% of its predicted value 1 day after the death of one of the fetuses of the rabbit pregnancy. The change in the uterine blood flow in response to the occlusion of the umbilical blood supply to the adjacent area is a local response and is similar in its time course and magnitude to the response of the whole placenta which has been previously observed by Raye et al. (9). This local response of the uterine blood flow is considered to be evidence that the uterine blood flow is in part determined and controlled by the structural or chemical nature of the adjacent fetal compartment.
D000818:Animals; D001775:Blood Circulation; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D011817:Rabbits; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012756:Sheep; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000098:blood supply*; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply*