Second trimester fetal thymus size in association to preterm birth.
J Perinat Med
; 50(2): 144-149, 2022 Feb 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34710316
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the second trimester thymus-thorax-ratio (TTR) between fetuses born preterm (study group) and those born after 37 weeks of gestation were completed (control group). METHODS: This study was conducted as a retrospective evaluation of the ultrasound images of 492 fetuses in the three vessel view. The TTR was defined as the quotient of a.p. thymus diameter and a.p. thoracic diameter. RESULTS: Fetuses that were preterm showed larger TTR (p<0.001) the second trimester than those born after 37 weeks of gestation were completed. The sensitivity of a binary classifier based on TTR for predicting preterm birth (PTB) was 0.792 and the specificity 0.552. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, fetuses affected by PTB showed enlarged thymus size. These findings led us to hypothesize, that inflammation and immunomodulatory processes are altered early in pregnancies affected by PTB. However, TTR alone is not able to predict PTB.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Nacimiento Prematuro
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Etiology_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Female
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Humans
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Newborn
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Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Perinat Med
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania