Placental thickness and its relationship to gestational age and fetal growth parameters in normal singleton pregnancies in the central region of Togo

Abstract

Introduction: Accurate determination of gestational age (GA) is necessary for qualitative obstetric care, and ultrasound fetal biometry parameters are used when the last menstrual period is not known. The aim of this study was to measure by ultrasound the placental thickness (PT) and correlate it with GA and fetal growth parameters. Population and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department of Sokode Regional Hospital. All low-risk pregnancies from the 11th week were included. Excel and R 4.2.2 software were used. A significance level of 5% was established for the statistical tests. Results: A total of 256 pregnancies were recorded. The mean of PT was 29.89 ± 7.42 mm. The mean of PT in the first, second, and third trimesters was 13.50 ± 3.67 mm, 24.61 ± 4.12 mm, and 34.65 ± 4.17 mm, respectively. There was a strong positive linear correlation between PT and GA (r = 0.87, P < 0.00001) and between PT and estimated fetal weight (EFW) (r = 0.80, P < 0.00001). The linear relationship between PT and GA could be expressed by the equation: GA = 0.894*PT-0.103. Similarly, the linear relationship between PT and EFW could be expressed by the equation EFW = 127.314*PT-2563.561. There was a strong linear correlation between PT and parameters such as biparietal diameter (r = 0.88, P < 0.00001), head circumference (r = 0.89, P < 0.00001), and femur length (r = 0.89, P < 0.00001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated a correlation between PT and fetal growth parameters, suggesting that PT can be utilized to monitor fetal growth.