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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Cannula Implantation into the Cisterna Magna of Rodents
Published on: May 23, 2018
The cisterna magna size in normal second-trimester fetuses
Asli Koktener1, Gulcin Dilmen, Aydin Kurt
1Department of Radiology, Fatih University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. akoktener@yahoo.com
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate cisterna magna size of the fetuses between 16 and 24 weeks of gestation, and to establish a normogram for cisterna magna measurements during gestation.
Methods:
A prospective study of normal singleton pregnancies was established. Measurement of the fetal cisterna magna was performed by transabdominal ultrasonography between 16 and 24 weeks of gestation in 194 fetuses.
Results:
A linear correlation was obtained between gestational age (GA) and cisterna magna (R(2)=0.75, P<0.0001). A linear correlation was also found between biparietal diameter and cisterna magna (R(2)=0.74, P<0.0001). The normal mean (+/-SD) for each gestational week was defined.
Conclusion:
The present data offer the normal range of the cisterna magna. Cisterna magna measurement may provide normative data for fetal growth and development. Abnormal measurement of cisterna magna may be a clue for posterior fossa pathologies or a chromosomal disorder.
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