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Abstract Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The accurate assessment of fetal growth during pregnancy is difficult, but recent advances have improved this important aspect of obstetric care with positive implications for antenatal patients and their babies. The term IUGR defines an infant that has failed to achieve a weight threshold (usually defined as the 10th percentile). Normal fetal growth is dependent on intrinsic (genetic) and extrinsic (placental and maternal) factors. A failure of any or a combination of these factors will impair growth in affected fetuses. The identification of the specific cause of IUGR prior to delivery is essential because clinical management, parental counselling and pregnancy outcome are linked to the etiology. To achieve optimal fetal growth, adequate blood flow in utero-placental vascular unit is essential. Abnormal vasculature adaptation, resulting in aberrant blood flow, has been implicated as a possible cause of IUGR. Sildenafil Citrate, a specific phosphodiestrase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor and Isosorbide Mononitrate, one of the nitrates group, have been proposed as vasodilators and should be used as therapeutic agents in IUGR gestations by promoting myometrial small artery vasodilatation, reducing maternal peripheral arterial resistance and increasing blood flow within the utero-placental bed and can also improve utero-placental perfusion. |