Pathological features of intra-uterine growth retardation in the piglet: differential effects on organ weights

The body and organ weights of twenty-four intra-uterine growth retarded neonatal piglets were compared with those of seventeen normal littermate controls. There was a highly significant relation between organ weight and body weight for the following organs which all showed a reduction as body weight decreased: liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, spleen and pancreas. In contrast, brain, pituitary, adrenal and thyroid weights did not change significantly with body weight implying preferential protection from the pathological effects of intra-uterine growth retardation. Our results also show that the pattern of natural growth retardation in the piglet is similar to that reported in man, and to that of the experimental growth retardation produced in a number of animal species.