Weights of placentae from small-for-gestational age infants revisited

The objective of the study pi-as to investigate the association between pla cental weight and birthweight in appropriate (AGA) and small for gestationa l age (SGA) infants. Placental weight, birthweight and their ratio in chrom osomally normal singleton pregnancies with SGA (n=1569) and AGA (n=15017) i nfants were compared, and their determinants were studied by logistic regre ssion. SCA infants had 24 per cent smaller placentae than AGA infants when gestational age was used as a covariate. Placental actual weight was also l ower in SGA infants than in AGA infants of the same birthweight (P <0.001). SGA infants had smaller placentae than the controls, suggesting that fetal growth depends on the actual weight of the placenta. Future studies should evaluate whether growth restriction could be reversed by therapeutic appro aches increasing placental weight. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.