Placental thickness in the first half of pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to establish normal values of placental thickness during the first half of pregnancy.


METHODS
Normal pregnant women with singleton pregnancies between 8 and 20 weeks of gestation were recruited into the study. All the newborns were normal at birth. Placental thickness was measured perpendicularly through the thickest part of the placenta on transabdominal scans. The placental thickness data were analyzed for mean, standard deviation, 95% confidence interval, and 2.5(th), 5(th), 50(th), 95(th), and 97.5(th) percentile for each week of gestational age. The best-fit mathematical model was derived by regression analysis.


RESULTS
The total number of measurements was 333 and the number of measurements for each week of gestational age ranged from 9 to 37. Regression analysis yielded the following linear equation of the relationship: placental thickness (in mm) = gestational age (in weeks) x 1.4-5.6 (r = 0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
We have established a nomogram for placental thickness. This resource may be a useful aid in the early detection of placental abnormalities, such as hydropic placenta secondary to hemoglobin Bart's disease.
Tongsong
Theera
T
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
Boonyanurak
Pongrak
P
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010920:Placenta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal