RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTRAUTERINE GROWTH-RETARDATION AND EARLY POSTNATAL SUPERIOR MESENTERIC-ARTERY BLOOD-FLOW VELOCITY

During the first week of life, we examined the changes in the systemic , intestinal and cerebral circulation, and the circulatory responses t o feeding in 10 small for gestational age (SGA) infants using the ultr asound Doppler technique. From day 1 to day 3, preprandial cardiac out put decreased (p < 0.01), whereas mean blood pressure (p < 0.01), supe rior mesenteric artery mean flow velocity (Vmean; p < 0.01) and middle cerebral artery Vmean (p < 0.01) increased, On day 1, cardiac output was higher in the SGA than in those of term and preterm appropriate fo r gestational age infants reported from our laboratory. Preprandial su perior mesenteric artery Vmean was inversely related to the degree of growth retardation (r = 0.63, p < 0.05). However, growth retardation d id not influence the postprandial increase in superior mesenteric arte ry Vmean and end-diastolic flow velocity, or the cerebral circulation.