In utero development of the fetal gall bladder in the Korean population.
OBJECTIVE
To provide reference ranges of the fetal gall bladder in the Korean population.


METHODS
Fetal gall bladder development was evaluated in well-dated, non-anomalous fetuses in the Korean population between February and April 2003 and the visualization rate and reference values were determined from the obtained data.


RESULTS
The visualization rate of the fetal gall bladder increased as gestation advanced to a plateau above 90%, which was maintained between 16 and 34 weeks. The measured parameters from the fetal gall bladder had a significant positive relationship with gestational age (p = 0.000 for all cases), and the correlation of length and area with the gestational age (r = 0.741 and r = 0.690, respectively) was better than the correlation of width, height, and volume with gestational age. The repeatability coefficients and coefficients of variation between the two operators were 5.56 mm and 12.9% for the length and 344.11 mm(2) and 33.52% for the area. The median length of the fetal gall bladder in the Korean population was not significantly different from the mean length of gall bladders in the Caucasian and African-American populations (p = 0.915).


CONCLUSIONS
We have provided reference values for the fetal gall bladder throughout the gestation period in the Korean population.
Moon
Min Hoan
MH
Department of Radiology, Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Cho
Jeong Yeon
JY
Kim
Ju Hee
JH
Lee
Young Ho
YH
Jung
Sung Il
SI
Lee
Myung Sook
MS
Cho
Hyeun Cha
HC
D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal