title: A longitudinal study of the relationship between placental and fetal growth as measured by ultrasonography.
abstract: Placental volume and fetal weight were estimated by ultrasonographic measurement at regular intervals from 16 to 20 weeks' gestation in 18 patients. The individual data were fitted to a logistic function. The estimated parameters were used to compare different groups of patients. In seven normal cases placental and fetal growth followed a sigmoid or nearly linear pattern. In four of these cases a reduction of placental and fetal growth during the last 1 to 3 weeks was apparent. In 11 cases with an abnormal outcome of pregnancy (fetal death, fetal distress necessitating a cesarean section, or neonatal weight below the 10th percentile) placental growth retardation always preceded fetal complications or growth retardation by at least 3 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oosting
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Treffers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography