title: Growth retardation in pregnancy: experimental model in the rabbit employing electrically induced thermal placental injury.
abstract: Intrauterine growth retardation involves haemodynamic modifications in the uterus and placenta. In order to study intrauterine growth retardation we obtained an electrically induced thermal placental injury in a rabbit experimental model. The effects on weight of fetuses, placentas and single organs were recorded and statistically analysed. Fetal growth retardation was recorded in 71% of fetuses exposed to 15 mA direct current per 40 seconds, and resulted in only 7.9% of normal fetuses. The data presented in this study have shown a retardation of fetal growth particularly evident in the liver weight with a relative sparing of brain development. Kidney and heart do not present a statistically significant reduction in growth. This growth retardation model is simple and readily reproducible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Exacoustos
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Puggioni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mancuso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009929:Organ Size; D010920:Placenta / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011817:Rabbits