title: Ultrasound evaluation of the length of the fetal nasal bones throughout gestation.
abstract: Subtle facial abnormalities, including smallness of the nose, are common findings in trisomy 21 and numerous other genetic conditions. The aim of this study was to construct a normal range for the length of the fetal nasal bones with gestation in a Caucasian population. Ultrasound measurements were performed on a strictly mid-sagittal profile in 376 normal singleton fetuses at 14-34 (mean 24) weeks' gestation. It was found that the length of the nasal bones increased from 4 mm at 14 weeks to 12 mm at 35 weeks' gestation, and that there was a linear relationship between the length of these bones and biparietal diameter and femur length. We conclude that the length of nasal bones can easily be measured in fetuses at 14-34 weeks' gestation and that such measurements might prove useful in the evaluation of pregnancies at high risk for associated fetal abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Médecine foetale et de Diagnostic Antenatal, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guis
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ville
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doumerc
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frydman
mesh_terms: D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D009295:Nasal Bone / Q000196:embryology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal