Intima-media thickness of the abdominal aorta of neonate with different gestational ages.
OBJECTIVE
To determine aortic intima-media thickness (aIMT) values in newborns with different gestational ages and to asses the effect of antenatal steroids on aIMT.


METHODS
Two hundred forty newborns from healthy mothers had their distal abdominal aIMT measured during abdominal sonographic examination. The neonates were divided into 4 groups (60 in each group) according to gestational age: group I (25-28 weeks), group II (29-32 weeks), group III (33-37 weeks), and group IV (38-42 weeks).


RESULTS
The interobserver and intersubject intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.93 and 0.94, respectively. Mean aIMT was 0.316 mm, 0.335 mm, 0.348 mm, and 0.385 mm, respectively, in group I, II, III, and IV, increasing significantly with gestational age at birth (p < 0.0001). There was no apparent effect of antenatal steroid use on aIMT. Multivariate regression models for mean aIMT demonstrated a significant association with aortic lumen diameter (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Abdominal aIMT can be reproducibly measured in neonates and may be a useful tool for epidemiologic studies.
Koklu
Esad
E
Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Erciyes University, School of Medicine, 38039 Kayseri, Turkey.
Kurtoglu
Selim
S
Akcakus
Mustafa
M
Yikilmaz
Ali
A
Coskun
Abdulhakim
A
Gunes
Tamer
T
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001827:Body Height; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D012737:Sex Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones