Relationship between placental blood flow and placental and fetal size in guinea pig

Blood flow measurements were made using radioactive microspheres in 14 unstressed, conscious, pregnant guinea pigs with gestational age ranging between 34 and 67 days. Within each litter placental blood flow (PBF) was positively correlated to fetal weight (FW), even after correcting for placental weight differences. Although the largest littermate was, on the average, only 30% larger than the smallest, its maternal placental blood flow was 95% greater. The PBF vs. FW relationship could be described by the allometric equation: PBF = A(i) FW^2.89 where A(i) is a litter-specific coefficient. This study demonstrates that the placenta of the largest littermate is 'hyperperfused' compared with its smaller siblings.