Study of fetal physiology using intrauterine and extrauterine chronic preparation

尽管近年来研究方法有所进步，但对胎儿行为和功能的分析仍然存在困难。为了从胎儿中获得更直接的信息，我们利用40个山羊胎儿开发了这种新的子宫外孵育系统。胎儿被人工羊水包围，并与体外膜氧合器相连。血液从脐动脉排出并回流到脐静脉。测谎仪连续记录几个参数以监测胎儿状况。在相当长的一段时间内，胎儿可以保持相当生理和稳定的状态，最长可达10天。该系统可作为研究胎儿病理生理的一种有效方法。事实上，已有研究对胎儿中枢神经系统的发育、胎儿行为、胎儿水代谢和胎儿碳水化合物代谢进行了研究。胎儿脑电图分析表明，胎儿在胎龄120天左右形成了自己的中枢神经系统生物节律。

Despite the recent progress of research methods, it is still difficult to analyze fetal behaviors and functions. in order to obtain more direct informations from a fetus, this new extrauterine incubation system has been developed by using 40 goat fetuses. The fetus is surrounded by artificial amniotic fluid and connected with the extracorporeal membrane oxygenator. The blood is drained from the umbilical arteries and returned to the umbilical vein. Several parameters are continuously recorded by the polygraph to monitor the fetal conditions. The fetuses could keep fairly physiological and stable conditions for a considerable period which ranged up to 10 days. It is considered that this system can be a useful method to investigate fetal pathophysiology. In fact, several researches have been undertaken to investigate the development of fetal central nerve system, the fetal behaviours, the fetal water metabolism and the fetal carbohydrats metabolism. It was elucidated by the analysis of fetal electroencephlogram that a fetus obtains the own biorhythm of the central nerve system around 120 days of fetal age.