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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Insights
Most small-for-dates (SFD) babies experience intrauterine undernutrition. Postnatal growth shows varied catch-up patterns, with feeding type having minimal impact on recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Small-for-dates (SFD) infants often exhibit intrauterine undernutrition.
- The postnatal period is critical for growth recovery in SFD babies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the diverse postnatal growth patterns of small-for-dates babies.
- To investigate factors influencing catch-up growth in SFD infants.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of SFD infant growth trajectories.
- Analysis of growth centile crossing and influencing factors.
Main Results:
- SFD infants as a group demonstrate catch-up growth in the first six months.
- Individual growth patterns vary significantly, with some infants showing limited catch-up.
- Early postnatal nutrition (feeding method, calorie/protein intake) showed minimal effect on growth rate.
Conclusions:
- While catch-up growth is common in SFD infants, individual outcomes differ.
- The long-term implications of attained size and the necessity of rapid catch-up growth require further investigation.
Abstract:
The majority of "small-for-dates" (SFD) babies show signs of intrauterine undernutrition. The postnatal period is therefore an opportunity to recover any growth deficit. Growth patterns of SFD babies as a group describe upward centile crossing ("catch-up") over the first 6 months, but there is considerable diversity in growth patterns of individual babies. Some continue in approximately the same centile channel as that in which they were born; others show "catch-up". The rate of early growth is influenced by the severity of intrauterine undernutrition, but perhaps surprisingly the mode of feeding and variations in protein and calorie intake after birth have little or not effect. Whether the size attained by prenatally undernourished SFD babies represents the complete recovery of their growth deficit, or whether more rapid "catch-up" growth is even desirable for later physical size and neuropsychological development, remains to be seen.
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