Fetal Kidney Length Measurement, an Additional Visceral Parameter to Predict Gestational Age between 24 to 40 Weeks | Chapter 12 | Highlights on Medicine and Medical Science Vol. 16

Introduction: Accurate gestational age estimation is essential for providing effective prenatal care. According to new research, while measuring the duration of pregnancy by ultrasonography, kidney length should be considered in addition to typical biometric indications. Materials and Procedures: In a single location, a prospective cross-sectional study of 120 pregnant women was done. In addition to standard biometric measurements, kidney length was measured at two-week intervals between 24 and 40 weeks. A total of 240 renal vertical measurements were taken, with the ultimate kidney length determined by averaging the right and left renal lengths. Descriptive analysis was used to obtain the mean and standard deviations for each variable. Pearson regression coefficients were utilised to determine the relationship between gestational age and other foetal features, as well as to determine which regression model offers the best fit for gestational age prediction. Results: As the pregnancy continued, the length of the foetal kidneys grew longer (from 23.2 mm at 24 weeks to 40.1 mm at 40 weeks). The regression formula (gestational age = 2.195 + 0.942 X kidney length) had a high degree of correlation (R2 0.97, p0.001, SE of prediction 4.7 3.9), which was superior to other prediction models using conventional biometric parameters (R2 0.97, p0.001, SE of prediction 4.7 3.9). There was a significant improvement in projecting gestational age when femur length was added in a stepwise manner to multiple regression models containing various standard components. Conclusion: The current study discovered that foetal kidney length is a reliable indicator of gestational age between 24 and 40 weeks of pregnancy, and that it could be beneficial in pregnancies with inaccurate dates, in the absence of a dating scan, and in women who conceived while breastfeeding. Fetal kidney length, gestational age, and ultrasonography are all terms that can be used to describe the size of a fetus's kidneys.

Author (S) Details

Dr. Sunanda Bharatnur
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KMC Manipal MAHE Manipal, Karnataka, India.

Samantha Dawson
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KMC Manipal MAHE Manipal, Karnataka, India.

Shripad Hebbar
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KMC Manipal MAHE Manipal, Karnataka, India.

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