[The significance of fetal myocardial and skeletal muscle function as a factor affecting its viability].

Histologic study of the heart and functionally active zones of skeletal muscles of the lower limbs of fetuses and newborns (71 cases) is undertakes to distinguish the factors affecting the viability of the fetus (new-born) and detect the total-system muscle tissue involvement after the general morphogenetic mechanism. The basic criteria of a pathological process caused by capillarotrophic myocardial insufficiency are dystrophy, necrosis, and sclerosis. Various forms of nonspecific prenatal myopathy were detected in the skeletal muscles; they were combined with symptoms of chronic myocardial hypoxia. A relationship between cardiovascular abnormalities and intrauterine and neonatal death is revealed.