Maternal surgery during pregnancy has a transient adverse effect on the developing fetal rabbit brain

Lennart Van der Veeken1, Johannes Van der Merwe1, Sarah Devroe2

  • 1Department of Development and Regeneration, Cluster Woman and Child, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium; Clinical Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Summary

Maternal anesthesia and surgery during pregnancy in rabbits led to temporary neonatal neurodevelopmental delays and reduced brain cell density. However, most effects were not detectable by 7 weeks of age, indicating potential recovery.

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