Morphohistogenesis and mode of growth of spleen in goat (Capra hircus)

Spleen was measured in 18 goat feed of 4.00 - 35.00 cm CR length and 6 neonatal goats. The foetuses were divided into 3 groups on the basis of CR length. The spleen was irregularly triangular in group I and elongated elliptical in group 2 onward. It shifted caudad and laterad with the advancement of age. The spleen weighed 16.17 +/- 2.242 mg in group 1 and increased to 536.67 +/- 35.277 and 2 081.17 +/- 231.144 mg in groups 3 and 4 respectively. The length, width and thickness (4.38 +/- 0.472, 2.83 +/- 0.115 and 1.32 +/- 0.083 mm) in group 1 increased to 23.83 +/- 2.522, 19.33 +/- 2.679 and 4.00 +/- 0.500 mm respectively in group 3. The weight of the spleen revealed maximum (3218%) total increase (groups 1 - 3) and surface area (3142%) was next in order. However, all the parameters showed 51 - 80% of their respective total increase in early stage of gestation. Significant correlation coefficients among CR length and splenic parameters suggested symmetry between the growth of foetus and spleen. White pulp differentiated in group 2.