TITLE:
The Relation of Fetal Colon Diameter with Estimation of Gestational Age
AUTHORS:
Israa Ali Haidar, Kanaan Al Sakka, Azzam Abou-Tok, Mayada Roumieh
KEYWORDS:
Colon Diameter, Fetal Colon, Gestational Age, Ultrasound
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.10 No.11,
November
9,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Conventional ultrasound dating is not very accurate
after 34 weeks of gestation and has standard deviation of about 2 weeks. Objective: Verify whether fetal colon diameter can be used as
a tool for estimating gestational age (GA) of fetuses between 34 to 40 weeks. Materials and Methods: This
was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Obstetrics and Gynecology University
Hospital, Damascus, Syria, during the period from September 2019-September 2020. The study enrolled 395 women with
uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 34 - 40 weeks of gestation. Fetal
bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femoral
lengths were assessed by ultrasound. In addition, descending colon diameter was assessed at the level of colonic haustra. The
correlation between GA and colon diameter was assessed by the Pearson
correlation test. Results: Significant correlation between fetal colon diameter and gestational age
was observed P diameter and
bi-parietal diameter, femoral length, head circumference and abdominal
circumference were found with P values rd trimester and colon diameter was
significantly stronger than the correlation between gestational age and
bi-parietal diameter, head circumference, and abdominal circumference. Whereas, no significant difference was found when
comparing colon diameter and femoral lengths (P = 0.089). Conclusion: The present study suggested that colon diameter can be used for predicting third trimester gestational age.