title: The human fetal heart in the second trimester of gestation: a gross morphometric study of normal fetuses.
abstract: One hundred fifty-three midtrimester fetuses obtained from normal pregnancies terminated for nonmedical reasons were studied to establish normal standard measurements. Mean, standard deviation, range, and percentiles of body weight, foot length, crown-rump length, biparietal diameter, cardiac weight, thickness of ventricles, and ventricular septum were derived by computer analysis. Statistical analysis showed no sex difference. Equations for predicting body weight, cardiac weight, and septal thickness were derived with the use of fetal age and biparietal diameter as variables. The mean ratio of septal to left ventricular wall thickness was 1.14 +/- 0.34; a ratio of 1.3 or greater was found in 25% and a ratio of 1.5 or greater in 10% of this cohort. The results are at variance with the reported high incidence of septal hypertrophy seen in normal developing fetal hearts. We suggest that septal hypertrophy, ratio of 1.5 or greater, may reflect disturbances in fetal or placental circulation and warrants careful monitoring of the pregnancy.
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D009929:Organ Size; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D012737:Sex Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography