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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Author Spotlight: Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Gastric Content Assessment and Risk Stratification in Perioperative Care
Published on: September 22, 2023
Ultrasonographic Imaging of the Fetal Pyloric Sphincter
Erzat Toprak1, Mehmet Murat Işıkalan2
1Clinic of Perinatology, Kayseri City Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
Objectives:
In this study, we hypothesized that the pyloric sphincter can be directly visualized by ultrasonography in the prenatal period.
Methods:
This study was designed as a cross-section. Single, healthy pregnancies between 18 and 22 weeks of gestation who applied to the Perinatology outpatient clinic for second-level ultrasonography were included in the study. In addition to the demographic characteristics of the participants, fetal pyloric mucosa, fetal pyloric sphincter length, and fetal pyloric sphincter thickness were measured by ultrasonography. Intrarater variability was calculated.
Results:
A total of 93 eligible patients were evaluated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 27.25 ± 6.23, and the gestational age was 21.18 ± 0.98. Pylorus imaging and measurements were possible in all fetuses that were in the optimal position. Mean pyloric sphincter length (mm) was 5.32 ± 0.93, pyloric sphincter thickness (mm) was 2.13 ± 0.44, and sphincter muscle thickness (mm) was 1.05 ± 0.24.
Conclusions:
The pyloric sphincter can be easily visualized on a second-trimester ultrasound scan when the appropriate technique is used. This may make an additional contribution to the diagnosis of fetal gastrointestinal tract pathologies.
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