[Recurrent fetal hypotrophy].

The authors studied 22 cases of recurrent foetal hypotrophy (at least three small for dates infants) occurring in the absence of toxaemia or any other cause. The incidence was 22 cases out of 600 cases of small for dates infants, i.e. 3.67%, which is low. However, these cases presented definite recurrent foetal hypotrophy as the women delivered three successive infants with dysmaturity, which excludes chance of error. It is also important to relate the frequency to the number of women having delivered at least three infants, which eliminates a lot of the value of this figure of 3.67%. If we consider only those infants born to mothers with at least three children, the rate of "essential" recurrent foetal hypotrophy is 23%, which is considerable. Certain causes responsible for the recurrence of intra-uterine growth retardation may be missed, for example uterine malformations or unrecognised toxic factors. Nevertheless, the birth of three successive small for dates infants raises the possibility, at least in certain cases, of a particular factor responsible for intra-uterine growth, a regulatory factor of maternal origin, which may be genetic.