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High Frequency Ultrasound for the Analysis of Fetal and Placental Development In Vivo
Published on: November 8, 2018
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Stresses and strains on the human fetal skeleton during development
Stefaan W Verbruggen1, Bernhard Kainz2, Susan C Shelmerdine3
1Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|January 26, 2018
Summary
Mechanical forces from fetal movements are crucial for skeletal development. This study quantifies in utero fetal stress and strain, revealing a significant increase during the second half of gestation, important for understanding prenatal musculoskeletal development.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Developmental Biology
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Mechanical forces are critical for prenatal musculoskeletal development.
- Abnormal fetal movements are linked to congenital disorders.
- The biomechanics of fetal skeletal development in utero remain unquantified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the biomechanical stress and strain experienced by the developing human skeleton in utero.
- To investigate how fetal skeletal stress and strain change over ontogeny during the second half of gestation.
- To establish a link between fetal biomechanics and potential skeletal malformations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized novel cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to capture fetal movements.
- Developed computational models to quantify fetal kick and muscle forces.
- Applied quantified forces to 3D fetal skeleton geometries to calculate stress and strain.
Main Results:
- Fetal kick force increased significantly from 20 to 30 weeks' gestation, then decreased towards term.
- Mechanical stress and strain in the fetal skeleton showed a significant increasing trend throughout the second half of gestation.
- This study provides the first quantification of fetal kick force, stress, and strain in the human skeleton in utero.
Conclusions:
- Fetal skeletal stress and strain increase significantly with gestational age in the second half of pregnancy.
- Understanding these biomechanical changes is crucial, as altered fetal movement patterns are linked to poor outcomes and malformations.
- This research advances the understanding of the intrauterine biomechanical environment and its impact on skeletal development, potentially guiding future tissue engineering and mechanobiology research.
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