SYSTEMIC EMBRYOLOGY

(ANA2124)
LECTURE NOTE

By
I.A. Tela
Department of Anatomy,
Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences,
College of Health Science,
Bayero University,
Kano.
Second Semester, 2020 – 2021 Academic Session.
Bilaminar

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TRILAMINAR

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TRILAMINAR DISC

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Course Outline
1. Organogenetic Period
2. Fetal Period
3. Factors Affecting Fetal Growth
4. Congenital Malformations
5. Placenta and Fetal membranes
6. Body cavities, Mesentery and Diaphragm
7. Pharyngeal apparatus
8. Development of the organ systems

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 Organogenetic Period
• This is also known as embryonic development period.

• All major internal and external structures are established.

• It spans between the 4th and 8th week of embryonic development.

• The main organs systems begin to develop however remain minimally

active except for the cardiovascular system.

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 Organogenetic period…
• The heart begins to beat at beginning of the fourth week (about 22 to
23).

• The form and shape of the embryo change to distinct human

appearance.

• Organogenetic period is very essential because of organ and tissues

differentiation. Therefore any exposure of the embryo to teratogens
leads to congenital malformation.

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Organogenetic period…

Phases of Organogenetic Period

• Growth phase: this involves mainly of active • Other activities that accompany the
cellular division and elaboration of cell products. organogenetic period include folding of the
• Morphogenetic phase: it involves development embryo.
of shape, size and other features organs, part or
whole of the body. It is an elaborate process • This involves folding of the flat-layered trilaminar
which involves complex interaction of cells in an embryonic disc into a tubular or cylindrical
orderly sequence. embryo.
• Differentiation phase: this stage there is
maturation of physiologic processes. The
• Essentially the folding takes place in two planes
completion results in the formation of tissues
i.e.
and organs that are capable of performing
specialized functions. • Median and
• Horizontal planes

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 Organogenetic period…
Folding of the embryo along the median plane

• This involves folding of the two elongated ends of

the embryo ventrally to produce head and tail folds
which designate the cranial and caudal region of
the embryo.
• Repositioning septum transversum, primordial
heart, pericardial coelom, and oropharyngeal
membrane that laid cranial to the neural fold to the
ventral surface of the embryo during the cranial
folding,
• the primitive streak from the cranial of the cloacal
membrane to the caudal to it.
• Incorporation of the endodermal germ layer into
the hindgut and attachment of the connecting stalk
to the ventral surface of the embryo.
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 Organogenetic period…
Folding of the embryo along the
horizontal plane
• This is caused by the rapid growth of the spinal
cords and somites which produces right and left
ventrolateral folds.
• These folds grow towards the median plane by
rolling the edges of the embryonic disc ventrally
thereby forming a roughly tubular embryo.
• During lateral folding, some endodermal germ
layers are incorporated into the midgut to give
the primordium of the intestine, the wide
connection between the midgut and umbilical
vesicle is reduced to omphaloenteric duct.

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 Highlights of Major Events During
Organogenetic Period
Fourth (4th ) week
• Neural tube is formed opposite the somite with
widely open rostral and caudal neuropore
• Three pairs of pharyngeal arches become visible
• Upper limb buds become recognizable as small
swellings on the ventrolateral body wall
• Otic pits (primordial of the internal ears) become
visible
• Lens placodes become visible as an ectodermal
thickening indicating the future lenses of the eyes
• Appearance of elongated caudal eminence

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Highlights of Major Events…

Fifth (5th) week

• Changes here not significant
• Enlargement of the head caused
by the development of the head
and facial prominences
• Overlapping of the 4th pharyngeal
arches by the 3rd thereby forming
a thick lateral depression of
ectoderm called cervical sinus

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Highlights of Major Events…

Sixth (6th) week

• Differentiation of the upper and
lower to give elbows and knees
depression, which later form hand
and foot, plates respectively. The
duo further differentiate to give
digital rays a primordial of fingers
and toes
• Development of auricular hillocks (a
groove) which later becomes
external acoustic meatus
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Highlights of Major Events…

Seventh (7th) week

• There is significant change here
• Notches appearance on the
digital rays of the hand
indicating future digits
• Ossification of the bones in the
upper limbs begins

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Highlights of Major Events…

Eight (8th) week

• Digits of the hand separate but with
noticeable web
• Appearance of notches on the digital rays of
the feet
• Caudal eminence reduces and later
disappears
• Femur ossification begins
• Hands and Feet approach each other with
purposeful limb movement
• Establishment of neck region with obvious
eyelids
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 FETAL PERIOD
• This is the period of embryonic development from the 9th week to birth. It involves
gradual transformation of the embryo to fetus.

• Embryo develops into recognizable human being and that all the primordia of the major
system would have been formed.

• This period is primarily concerned with rapid growth and differentiation of the tissue,
organs and system.

• Most significant changes that occur during this period are slow down of the head growth
relative to the rest of the body, continuous alternate growth with prolong interval of
absent of growth, and remarkable increase in body weight .

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 Highlight of the Fetal Period

9th – 12th Weeks

• The head of the fetus constitutes
about half of the crown-heel length
(CHL)
• The face is broad, eyes widely
separated, ears are lowest and
eyelids fused
• Legs are short, thighs are small
• External genitalia are similar in
both sexes
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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

9th – 12th Weeks…

• Increase in body length
• Liver is the major organ of
erythropoesis
• Intestinal coils are clearly visible in
the proximal end of the umbilical
cord until middle 10th week
• The intestine returns to the
abdomen at the 11th week

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 Highlight of the Fetal Period…
At 12th week
• The crown-rump length (CRL) doubles
due to rapid acceleration of body
growth
• Head growth is slow but
disproportionately larger compared
with the rest of the body
• Primary ossification centers appear in
the skeleton especially the cranium
and long bones

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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

At 12th week..
• The upper limbs reach their final
relative length but the lower limbs
did not well developed and shorter
than their final relative length
• Erythropoetic activity of the liver
decreases and erythropoiesis begun
in the spleen by the end of the 12th
week.
• Urine formation begins between the
9th and 12th week.
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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

13th – 16th week

• Body growth is rapid
• At week 14th there are coordinate
limbs movements but too slight to
be felt by the mother
• Active ossification of the fetal
skeleton
• Occurrence of the slow eye
movements
• Determination of the scalp hair
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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

13th – 16th week…

• Recognition of the fetal sex
• Differentiation of the ovaries
• Eyes face anteriorly rather than
anterolaterally
• External ears become close to their
definitive positions at the sides of the
head
• At 16th week the head is relatively
smaller compared with the previous
period and lower limb lengthened
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 Highlight of the Fetal Period…
17th – 20th weeks
• Growth slows down but the fetuses
increase in the CRL by about 50 mm
• Fetal movements (quickening) are felt by
the mother
• The skin is covered by downy hairs
(lunugo) and vernix caseosa (greasy
cheese-like material), which protects the
delicate fetal skin from abrasion,
chapping and hardening due to exposure
into amniotic fluid

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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

17th – 20th weeks…

• At 18th week uterus is formed and
canalization of vagina begins
• Brown fat is formed for heat
production to the new born
• Primordial ovarian follicles that
contains oogonia become visible
• At 20th week, eye brows and head hairs
become visible while testes begun to
descend but still located at the
posterior abdominal wall as ovaries.
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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

21th – 25th weeks

• Substantial weight gain and
proportionate fetus
• Skin is wrinkled and more translucent
• Skin becomes reddish to pinkish
because of blood visible capillaries
• Rapid eye movements begins
• Surfactants are secreted by type – II –
pneumocytes in the intra-alveolar
walls of the lungs
• By week 24th, fingernails were present
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 Highlight of the Fetal Period…
26th – 29th weeks
• Lungs pulmonary vasculature develops
sufficiently enough to provide adequate
gaseous exchange
• CNS matures to direct rhythmic breathing
movements and control of body
temperature
• Eyelids are opened and toe nails become
visible
• Lanugo and head hairs are well developed

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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

26th – 29th weeks…

• Considerable subcutaneous fats
accumulate under the skin to smooth
out the wrinkles
• The quantity of the white fat increase
by about 3.5% of the body weight
• Fetal spleen becomes an important
site of erythropoesis
• By 28th week, bone marrow become
an important site of erythropoesis

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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

30th - 34th weeks

• Pupillary reflex can be elicited
• The skin is pinkish and smooth
• The upper and lower limbs are
chubby in appearance
• The quantity of the white fat is
about 8% body weight

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 Highlight of the Fetal Period…
35th – 38th weeks
• Babies born at this stage exhibit firm grasp
and spontaneous light orientation
• Central nervous system sufficiently mature
to carry out some integrative functions
• Fetuses are at finishing period
• Abdominal circumference may be greater
than that of the head
• The fetal foot measurement is slightly larger
than the femoral length at 37th week

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Highlight of the Fetal Period…

35th – 38th weeks …

• Growth slows down
• Fetal CRL is 360mm, body weight is
3400g and white fat is 16% of the
body weight
• Male fetuses are longer and weigh
more at birth than females
• Thorax (chest) is prominent and
breasts is often protrude slightly in
both sexes
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 LECTURE – III

FACTORS AFFECTING FETAL GROWTH

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 Factors affecting fetal growth
• These can be maternal, fetal or
environmental factors. Single or combined
effect of these factors may affect the growth
processes of the embryo.

• Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR): is a

process that causes the reduction in the
expected growth pattern as well as fetal
growth potentials.

• Small for gestational age (SGA): is an infant

whose birth weight is lower than
predetermined cut off value for a particular
gestational age.

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Factors affecting fetal growth…

Cigarette smoking
• The growth weight of fetuses born to
cigarette smoking mothers is less than
normal during the 6th to 8th week of
pregnancy.

• The growth weight of fetus is < 200g

than the normal child. The effect of
maternal smoking is greater on
fetuses whose mothers also receive
inadequate nutrition.
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Factors affecting fetal growth…

Multiple pregnancy
• Individual of multiple pregnancies
weighs less than infants result
from single pregnancy.

• This is because the metabolic

requirements of the two or more
babies exceed the nutritional
supply available to the placenta
during the 3rd trimester.
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Factors affecting fetal growth…

Alcohol and Illicit Drugs

• Infants result from the alcoholic
and illicit drug mothers exhibit
IUGR and other obstetric
complication.

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Factors affecting fetal growth…
Impaired uteroplacental and
fetoplacental blood flow
• Impaired uteroplacental circulation can
result from small chorionic villi, severe
maternal hypotension and renal diseases.

• These can cause IUGR as a result of fetal

starvation. Placental dysfunction can
result in the reduction of the total
surface area for exchange of nutrients
between the fetal and maternal blood
stream.

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Factors affecting fetal growth…

Genetic factor and growth retardation

• Genetic factors might be
considered to influence growth
when congenital malformation
occurs repeatedly in a family.

• Retarded fetal growth is

associated with structural and
numerical chromosomal
aberrations.
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