Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 12, Issue 12 731-736, Copyright © 1993 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
A longitudinal study describing confidence limits of normal fetal cardiac, thoracic, and pulmonary dimensions from 20 to 40 weeks' gestation
T. A. Siddiqi, R. A. Meyer, J. Korfhagen, J. C. Khoury, B. Rosenn and M. Miodovnik
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio 45267-0526.
The current prospective, longitudinal study was designed to define the
confidence limits and characteristics of growth for fetal cardiac,
thoracic, and pulmonary dimensions from 20 to 40 weeks' gestation. We
tested the hypotheses that (1) CC/TC, (2) CC/AC, (3) TC/HC, and (4) TC/AC
ratios remain constant throughout this period of gestation. The
four-chamber view of the fetal heart in diastole, in the absence of fetal
breathing, was used as a standard reference for sonographic measurement of
cardiac, thoracic, and left and right pulmonary dimensions in a
longitudinal study of 45 uncomplicated pregnancies. Cardiac growth is best
fit by a quadratic function: -8.147 + 0.900 (GA) - 0.0078 (GA)2. Similarly,
thoracic growth is best fit by a quadratic function: -14.072 + 1.757 (GA) -
0.018 (GA)2. The characteristics of growth of the left and right lungs are
best described by linear growth equations: -1.71 + 0.426 (GA) and -1.62 +
0.539 (GA), respectively. Each of the CC/TC, CC/AC, TC/HC, and TC/AC ratios
changed significantly over time.
