ORGAN WEIGHTS IN HEALTHY AND APPARENTLY HEALTHY DANISH INFANTS

The weights of brain, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and thymus were registered in 222 forensic autopsies of Danish infants aged 1 we ek to 0.99 year (137 males, 85 females), who prior to death were healt hy or apparently healthy based on clinical evidence. Variability of or gan weights was estimated, and the relationship between individual org an weights and age, body weight, and body length, and the sum of organ weights was evaluated in relation to age, body weight, and body lengt h. No significant differences were found between males and females, an d between the healthy and apparently healthy infants. There was a posi tive, significant correlation of the individual organ weights with age , body weight, and body length. It was most pronounced for the weight of the brain and least pronounced for the thymus. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.