Pelvic ultrasonography in pubertal girls

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Radiology
• Human Growth and Development

Background:

• Establishing normative data for gynecological parameters during puberty is essential for accurate clinical assessment.
• Variations in pubertal development necessitate age- and stage-specific reference ranges for uterine and ovarian measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive normative data for uterine size, fundal-cervical ratio (FCR), and ovarian volume in healthy girls across different Tanner stages of puberty.
• To establish age- and Tanner stage-specific percentiles for these parameters in girls aged 8-15 years.

Main Methods:

• Pelvic ultrasound was performed on 92 healthy girls aged 8-15 years, stratified by Tanner stages (1-5).
• Measurements included uterine height, fundal-cervical ratio (FCR), and ovarian volume.
• Statistical analysis was conducted to derive percentiles and assess correlations with age, weight, and height.

Main Results:

• Uterine height, FCR, and ovarian volume showed statistically significant increases with progressive pubertal stages.
• Maximum uterine height increase occurred between Tanner stages 2 and 3.
• Ovarian volume plateaued after Tanner stage 4; FCR exceeded 1 in girls over 10 years or Tanner stage 2.
• Age demonstrated the strongest correlation with all measured parameters.

Conclusions:

• This study provides valuable normative guidelines for uterine and ovarian parameters across pubertal stages (8-15 years).
• These reference data can aid in the evaluation of pediatric patients with suspected disorders of puberty.
• The findings support the use of ultrasound-derived metrics for monitoring pubertal development.