Assessment of fetal adrenal gland volume using three-dimensional ultrasound

Abstract

To assess the normal fetal adrenal gland volume during normal gestation, we performed a prospective study on 119 normal fetuses with gestational age ranging from 21 to 40 weeks using a 3-D ultrasound (US) volume scanner with a pure cross-sectional design. Polynomial regression analysis was calculated to find the best-fit model between gestational age (GA) and adrenal gland volume. In addition, estimated fetal weight (EFW) was also measured to demonstrate the correlation between adrenal gland volume and fetal weight. Our results showed that fetal adrenal gland volume is highly correlated with GA. Furthermore, using GA as the independent variable and adrenal gland volume as the dependent variable, the best-fit regression equation was adrenal glands volume (mL) = -0.2683 x GA + 0.0082 x GA(2) + 3.1927 (r = 0.93, n = 119, p < 0.0001). For clinical use, a chart of normal growth centiles of fetal adrenal gland volume in utero was then calculated based on this equation. In addition, fetal adrenal gland volume during normal gestation is also highly correlated with EFW (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, our data of fetal adrenal gland volume assessed by 3-D US can serve as a useful reference in evaluating fetal growth status during gestation.