Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 12, Issue 5 251-254, Copyright © 1993 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Sonography of fetal midgut herniation: normal size criteria and correlation with crown-rump length
R. A. Bowerman
Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0030.
Forty-eight fetuses were prospectively evaluated to (1) determine the
normal size range of herniated midgut and (2) correlate sonographically the
timing of midgut herniation with CRL. All fetuses of CRL 38 mm or less, and
two of six fetuses with a CRL of 40 to 42 mm, demonstrated midgut
herniation. No fetuses with a CRL greater than 44 mm had this finding. The
cord containing midgut increased roughly from 4 to 7 mm, in maximum
dimensions, for CRL of 19 to 41 mm. An anterior abdominal wall mass greater
than 7 mm at any CRL, or of any size in a fetus of CRL greater than 44 mm,
is suggestive of a fetal anomaly. Alternatively, a cord base "mass" within
the 4 to 7 mm range for a CRL of 19 to 44 mm can be considered normal and
not to require any follow-up.
