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Quantification of the subcutaneous fat layer with MRI in fetuses of healthy mothers with no underlying metabolic disease vs. fetuses of diabetic and obese mothers

  • Vanessa Berger-Kulemann EMAIL logo , Peter C. Brugger , Michael Reisegger , Katharina Klein , Nilouparak Hachemian , Claus Koelblinger , Michael Weber and Daniela Prayer
Published/Copyright: November 25, 2011
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Volume 40 Issue 2

Abstract

Objective: To assess the age-dependent fetal subcutaneous fat layer (SCFL) of non-diabetic, normal-weight mothers and fetuses of mothers with gestational diabetes (GDM) and normal body weight or obesity.

Methods: In a prospective study, we evaluated 115 MRI examinations of fetuses with no history of (maternal) metabolic disease [gestational week (GW) 29 to 39/40] and 50 examinations of mothers with GDM and normal body weight or obesity. The SCFL was measured at predetermined anatomical landmarks. Measurements were correlated with the maternal body mass index (BMI) and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-values in diabetic mothers.

Results: In fetuses of non-diabetic, normal-weight mothers, measurements showed high consistency within the respective GW and ranged from 2 mm at GW 29 at all measured points, up to 4.5 mm at the trunk and 6.0 mm at the extremities at GW 39/40. In 47/50 fetuses of mothers with GDM, the SCFL was within the range of fetuses of mothers with no metabolic disease. In three patients with GDM and BMI<30, the SCFL-thickness was decreased. No fetuses showed an increased SCFL-thickness.

Conclusion: The SCFL of normally developed fetuses is easily detectable from GW 29 on T1-weighted images (T1-W), and increases with gestational age. The presented data provide physiological benchmarks to evaluate developmental status and may help in the prenatal diagnosis of abnormal growth and macrosomia. In pregnant women with well-controlled GDM, an increase of the SCFL is not expected.

Keywords: Fetal MRI; gestational diabetes; obesity; standard of reference; subcutaneous fat
Corresponding author: Vanessa Berger-Kulemann, MD Department of Radiology Medical University of Vienna/AKH Waehringer Guertel 18-20 A-1090 Vienna Austria Tel.: +43-1-40400/4890 Fax: +43-1-40400/4894
Received: 2011-5-10
Revised: 2011-9-23
Accepted: 2011-10-19
Published Online: 2011-11-25
Published in Print: 2012-02-01

©2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm.2011.122
Keywords for this article
Fetal MRI; gestational diabetes; obesity; standard of reference; subcutaneous fat

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Review Article
  2. Cardiac morbidity in twin-twin transfusion syndrome?
  3. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  4. Risk factors for postpartum hypertension in women with twin pregnancies
  5. Serum levels of the adipokine chemerin in preeclampsia
  6. Expression changes of sex hormone binding globulin in GDM placental tissues
  7. Evaluation of serum boron levels and lipid profile in pregnancies with or without gestational diabetes
  8. Racial disparities in maternal hemoglobin concentrations and pregnancy outcomes
  9. Prediction of imminent preterm delivery in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes
  10. Endocervical immune mediator production following successful rescue or ultrasound indicated cerclage placement
  11. Co-ordinate expression of Th1/Th2 phenotypes in maternal and fetal blood: evidence for a transplacental nexus
  12. Original Articles – Fetus
  13. How does the duration of active pushing in labor affect neonatal outcomes?
  14. Quantification of the subcutaneous fat layer with MRI in fetuses of healthy mothers with no underlying metabolic disease vs. fetuses of diabetic and obese mothers
  15. Original Article – Newborn
  16. Immediate clinical outcomes in preterm neonates receiving antenatal magnesium for neuroprotection
  17. Developmental delay in hypoxia-induced HO-1 expression predisposes to gut injury
  18. Short communication
  19. Correlation of Cyr61 and CTGF in placentas from the late pre-eclamptic pregnancy
  20. Letters to the Editor
  21. Cross-species transfer of group B streptococcus via ingestion?
  22. WAPM-Newsletter
  23. WAPM-Newsletter No 1/2012
  24. Congress Calender
  25. Congress Calendar
  26. Prelims
  27. Prelims
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