Cardiomegaly in neonatal hypoglycemia.

Chest X-rays of 24 hypoglycemic newborns were compared with those of a matched control group of newborns with normal blood glucose levels. In the hypoglycemic group heart size was found to be significantly greater than in the control group. No correlation could be established between the degree of cardiomegaly and the severity of hypoglycemia. 19 of the 24 hypoglycemic children were prematures or small for dates and it is postulated that the low glycogen stores in these infants do not meet the metabolic demands of the myocardium during its postpartum circulatory adaptation.