[Pancreas structure in fetuses and newborn infants who died in the perinatal period]

In the pancreas of fetuses at weeks 22-40 of prenatal development (n = 111) and of newborn infants who died during the first week of postnatal life (n = 38) the changes were detected that were characterized by exocrine part hypoplasia, retardation of acinar pancreatocyte differentiation, connective tissue outgrowth, pancreatic (Langerhans) islet hyperplasia and hypertrophy. The results of the study have shown that with the increase of the total risk sum of the perinatal period pathology development (expressed in balls), the relative content of the insular part of the organ and the number of large pancreatic islets (larger than 100 microm in diameter) decreased. The morphological features detected in this study indirectly reflect endo-ecologically discomfortable conditions of fetus development within the fetoplacental unit which increase the risk of polyendocrinopathy development and fetal intrauterine growth retardation. These polyendocrinopathies increase further the risk of endocrine disturbance occurence in childhood.