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Sonographic measurement of the fetal thymus: Relationship with maternal obesity
Melahat Yildirim1, Ali Ipek2, Gulcan Dauletkazin3
1Yildirim Beyazit University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of maternal obesity on the size of the fetal thymus.
Methods:
The study population consisted of 138 pregnant women who were divided into two groups based on their body mass index (BMI): Normal-weight group (n = 97; BMI: 18-25 kg/m2 ) and obese group (n = 41; BMI: ≥ 30 kg/m2 ). All participants underwent routine second-trimester prenatal ultrasound (US) screening at 20-25 weeks of gestation. Differences in US measurement of fetal thymus, fetal anthropometric measurements, subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness, fetal weight, gestational age, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein (CRP) values between groups were compared.
Results:
The mean thymus size was 18.7 ± 2.9 mm for normal-weight group, and 21.6 ± 3.7 mm for the obese group (p < 0.001). CRP values were also significantly different between groups (6.8 ± 4.4 mg/dl for normal-weight group, 14.8 ± 1.8 mg/dl for obese group, p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Fetal thymus size was increased in obese women, and this increase may indicate immunologic abnormalities in fetuses. However, future large-scale studies are necessary to support this association. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:277-281, 2017.
