[The morphological characteristics and deformability and strength properties of the common carotid artery in fetuses and newborns].

General carotid arteries were studied in 51 corpses of foetuses and newborns with gestational ages ranging from 28 to 40 weeks. The entire material was divided into 3 groups: 1) 28-32 weeks, 2) 33-36 weeks, 3) 37-40 weeks. The length of the cervical region as well as external diameter of the artery, thickness of the wall and its certain layers, number of elastic membrane rows and connective tissue fibres architectonics were studied. General strength, its limits, maximum relative deformation and arterial wall Jung module were investigated at longitudinal extension in tension machine. All the arterial morphological and strength characteristics increase in proportion with gestation age but maximum accretion takes place by the end of the last month of intrauterine development. In all age groups vascular wall extensibility is almost equal. Arterial wall has an elongation reserve due to the wavy course of elastic fibres in tunica media.