The neonatal implications of a high placental ratio in small-for-gestational age infants

An increased placental ratio has been associated with small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants. A retrospective study on 252 singleton SGA infants with out major anomalies born within a I-year period was performed to determine the relationship between placental ratio and maternal/infant characteristic s,and perinatal complications. The cases were categorized into three groups according to the placental ratio (<1 so below the mean, within 1 so of the mean, >1 so above the mean) based on our previous data. There were more in fants with a high ratio (32.9 per cent) than with a low ratio (15.5 per cen t). While there was no difference in the maternal characteristics or antena tal complications, there was a significant trend in decreasing birthweight and an increasing placental weight in relation to an increasing placental r atio. The infants with a high ratio had increased incidence of meconium sta ined liquor, hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesaemia and phototherapy, a trend chat was consistent even after exclusion of the preterm infants. Our data indica ted that a high placental ratio in SGA infants was due to both increased pl acental size and decreased birthweight, and this was associated with increa sed neonatal morbidity. (C) 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.