Brain: body ratio and conceptional age in vascular-induced intrauterine growth retarded rabbits.
Vascular induced intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) was achieved by total ligation of approximately 30% of the placental vessels to half the fetuses in the last third of gestation in pregnant rabbits. A correlation between brain weight, body weight and head circumference was established in fetuses and rabbit pups in the perinatal period. The brain:body ratio in restricted IUGR animals was significantly higher than their homologous normal controls. A cephalization index based on the brain:body ratio is proposed to assess adverse effects on brain maturity in the presence of IUGR induced by placental insufficiency.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002508:Cephalometry; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D010927:Placental Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011817:Rabbits