Diameter-by-age reference curves for the uterine cervix by computerized tomography

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Gynecology
• Anatomy

Background:

• Uterine cervical dimensions are crucial for assessing gynecological health.
• Standardized reference data for cervical diameters across different age groups is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop age-specific reference curves for uterine cervical diameters.
• To utilize computerized tomographic (CT) studies for creating these anatomical benchmarks.

Main Methods:

• Collected anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral cervical diameter measurements from 499 nonpathological CT scans.
• Grouped patients into 10-year age intervals and calculated median, 10th, and 90th percentile diameters.
• Smoothed curve data using second-order polynomial regression for age-related trends.

Main Results:

• Median AP diameter was 26 mm (15-45 mm range); median lateral diameter was 32 mm (20-70 mm range).
• The interquartile range (10th-90th percentile) for both diameters narrowed with increasing age, forming funnel-shaped distributions.

Conclusions:

• Established reference curves for uterine cervical diameters by age.
• These radiological standards can assist in evaluating uterine cervical pathology and detecting previously unrecognized conditions.