title: Assessment of fetal autonomic nervous system activity by fetal magnetocardiography: comparison of normal pregnancy and intrauterine growth restriction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the developmental activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of the normal fetus and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) cases using fetal magnetocardiography (FMCG).
  
  
  METHODS
  Normal pregnancy (n = 35) and IUGR (n = 12) cases at 28-39 and 32-37 weeks of gestation, respectively, were included in this study. The R-R interval variability was used to calculate the coefficient of variance (CV(RR)) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The value of CV(RR) in the normal pregnancy group displayed a slight increasing trend with gestational age. However, no such trend was observed in the IUGR group. In contrast, the LF/HF ratio in both the normal pregnancy group and the IUGR group clearly increased over the gestational period; the normal group showing statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The development of fetal ANS activity in IUGR cases might differ from that observed in the normal pregnancy group, and this may facilitate early detection of IUGR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 020-8505, Japan. akimunef@iwate-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akimune
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: Tomonobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanasugi
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terata
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal; D006801:Humans; D053798:Magnetocardiography; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult