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Fetal short femur length in the second trimester and the outcome of pregnancy
Author(s) -
Todros T.,
Massarenti I.,
Gaglioti P.,
Biolcati M.,
Botta G.,
Felice C.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-0528.2003.00015.x
Subject(s) - medicine , fetus , obstetrics , small for gestational age , gestational age , ultrasound , femur , ultrasonography , pregnancy , gestation , radiology , surgery , biology , genetics
We reviewed 86 consecutive cases with fetal femur length (FL) below the 10th centile of our reference ranges at midtrimester ultrasonography. Three groups were identified based on perinatal outcome: normal infants ( n = 28), newborns with structural and/or chromosomal anomalies ( n = 40), small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) newborns ( n = 18). Fetuses with skeletal dysplasias ( n = 13) had significantly shorter FL. Aneuploidies were only found in fetuses with malformations other than skeletal dysplasias. The diagnosis of SGA, based on ultrasound abdominal circumference measurement <10th centile, was made 9 weeks (range 5–14) after the finding of a short FL. Half of these cases also developed pre‐eclampsia.