title: Morphometric study of the two fused primary ossification centers of the clavicle in the human fetus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A satisfactory understanding of the clavicle development may be contributing to both the diagnosis of its congenital defects and prevention of perinatal damage to the shoulder girdle. This study was carried out to examine the transverse and sagittal diameters, cross-sectional area and volume of the two fused primary ossification centers of the clavicle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the methods of CT, digital-image analysis and statistics, the size for two fused primary ossification centers of the clavicle in 42 spontaneously aborted human fetuses at ages of 18-30 weeks was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Without any male-female and right-left significant differences, the best fit growth models for two fused primary ossification centers of the clavicle were as follows: y = -31.373 + 15.243 × ln(age) ± 1.424 (R (2) = 0.74) for transverse diameter, y = -7.945 + 3.225 × ln(age) ± 0.262 (R (2) = 0.78), y = -4.503 + 2.007 × ln(age) ± 0.218 (R (2) = 0.68), and y = -4.860 + 2.117 × ln(age) ± 0.200 (R (2) = 0.73) for sagittal diameters of the lateral, middle and medial ends respectively, y = -31.390 + 2.432 × age ± 4.599 (R (2) = 0.78) for cross-sectional area, and y = 28.161 + 0.00017 × (age)(4) ± 15.357 (R (2) = 0.83) for volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With no sex and laterality differences, the fused primary ossification centers of the clavicle grow logarithmically in both transverse and sagittal diameters, linearly in cross-sectional area, and fourth-degree polynomially in volume. Our normative quantitative findings may be conducive in monitoring normal fetal growth and screening for inherited faults and anomalies of the clavicle in European human fetuses.
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Mariusz
authors: M
authors: Baumgart
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Marcin
authors: M
authors: Wiśniewski
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Magdalena
authors: M
authors: Grzonkowska
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Mateusz
authors: M
authors: Badura
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Małgorzata
authors: M
authors: Dombek
authors: Department of Positron Emission Tomography and Molecular Imaging, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors: Bogdan
authors: B
authors: Małkowski
authors: Department of Normal Anatomy, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Łukasiewicza 1 Street, 85-821, Bydgoszcz, Poland. kizanat@cm.umk.pl.
authors: Michał
authors: M
authors: Szpinda
mesh_terms: D002968:Clavicle / Q000196:embryology*; D047109:Fetal Development; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D010012:Osteogenesis
keywords: CT examination; Clavicle; Digital image analysis; Human fetus; Ossification center; Regression analysis