Fetal ultrasound anatomy and morphometric parameters of the tibia

Abstract

Ultrasound screening is one of the most informative methods of visualizing fetal development during pregnancy. During standard ultrasound examinations, the length of the femur of the fetus is measured. However, if any skeletal dysplasia or intrauterine growth retardation is suspected, additional measurement of other long tubular bones should be performed. The aim of the work was to investigate the morphometric parameters of the lengths of the right and left tibia bones and to establish correlations between them and the lengths of the corresponding fibula, lower limb and crown rump length of the fetus during the fetal period of human ontogenesis. Intravital ultrasound examination of the leg bones of 38 human fetuses was performed at the medical center "YUZKO MEDICAL CENTER" in accordance with the cooperation agreement. Built-in capabilities of MS Excel were used for statistical calculations. The established data on the fetal morphometry of tibial lengths indicate relatively uniform growth of the right and left tibias during the fetal period of human ontogenesis: the length of the right tibia increases from 24.77±2.25 mm to 65.32±2.20 mm, and the length of the left tibia increases from 25.19±1.63 mm to 65.78±1.81 mm. The analysis of correlations between the length of the right and left tibia bones, the length of the fibula bones, the length of the lower limbs and the crown rump length in human fetuses aged from 4 to 10 months of intrauterine development allowed to reveal reliable strong and medium strength reliable and unreliable, mostly direct, connections in all age groups. The obtained morphometric parameters of tibia bones in fetuses of different gestational periods are important additional dimensions of fetobiometry, which can be used if a detailed assessment of the state of fetal development is necessary and in case of suspicion of congenital anomalies.