Fetal Physiology and Medicine

Book excerpt: Fetal Physiology and Medicine: The Basis of Perinatology, Second, Revised Edition documents many of the major advances in fetal medicine, including developmental physiology, pathology, and therapy. This book covers the most important areas of maternofetal medicine and presents different views of the critical problems of development. The various components of fetal metabolism are highlighted to demonstrate how animal experimentation has given a clear view of the interrelationship of the mother, placenta, and fetus. This text is comprised of 24 chapters; the first of which describes the use of ultrasound in antenatal diagnosis of congenital structural anomalies. This topic is followed by a discussion on sexual differentiation, acquired immunity, and endocrine changes, as well as the physiology of breathing, the control of the fetal cardiovascular system, lung maturation, fetal infections, and the effects of hypoxia on the fetal brain. This book also provides comprehensive reviews of fetal regulatory mechanisms, such as the reninangiotensin system, water metabolism, and fetal and placental hormone production. Other chapters focus on clinical applications, such as antenatal fetal heart rate monitoring, the technical aspects of fetal and uterine pressure measurements, fetal acid-base balance, and the prevention of preterm delivery. A section that explores the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life concludes this book. This source is of great potential value to all students and practitioners of reproductive medicine.