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Lateral ventricular atrium: larger in male than female fetuses
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Objective:
To attempt to detect the presence of a gender difference in the size of the fetal lateral ventricular atrium.
Methods:
The width of the lateral ventricular atrium was measured sonographically on 543 consecutive fetuses scanned at 17-40 weeks, with a normal structural survey and documented gender assignment. Lateral ventricular measurements of male and female fetuses were compared.
Results:
The mean width (+/- S.D.) of the lateral ventricular atrium for the entire study population of 543 fetuses was 6.5 +/- 1.4 mm. The measurement was 6.7 +/- 1.3 in male and 6.3 +/- 1.4 in female fetuses (P < 0.001). The atrial measurements were > or = 8.5 mm in 10% of the male and 7% of the female fetuses (P > 0.05, NS).
Conclusion:
Male fetuses have slightly larger cerebral lateral ventricles than female fetuses.