Ultrasound evaluation of the fetal fat tissue, heart, liver and umbilical cord measurements in pregnancies complicated by gestational and type 1 diabetes mellitus: potential application in the fetal birth-weight estimation and prediction of the fetal macrosomia

Abstract

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to evaluate the ultrasound-derived measurements of the fetal soft-tissue, heart, liver and umbilical cord in pregnancies complicated by gestational (GDM) and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and further to assess their applicability in the estimation of the fetal birth-weight and prediction of fetal macrosomia. Methods Measurements were obtained from diet-controlled GDM (GDMG1) (n = 40), insulin-controlled GDM (GDMG2) (n = 40), T1DM (n = 24) and healthy control (n = 40) patients. The following parameters were selected for analysis: fetal sub-scapular fat mass (SSFM), abdominal fat mass (AFM), mid-thigh fat/lean mass (MTFM/MTLM) and inter-ventricular septum (IVS) thicknesses, heart and thorax circumference and area (HeC/HeA; ThC/ThA), liver length (LL), umbilical cord/vein/arteries circumference and area (UmC/UmA; UvC/UvA; UaC/UaA) together with total umbilical vessels (UveA) and Wharton's jelly area (WjA). Regression models were created in order to assess the contribution of selected parameters to fetal birth-weight (FBW) and risk of fetal macrosomia. Results Measurements of the fetal SSFM, AFM, MTFM, MTFM/MTLM ratio, HeC, HeA, IVS, LL, UmC, UmA, UaC, UaA, UveA and WjA were significantly increased among patients with GDMG2/T1DM as compared to GDMG1 and/or control groups (p < .05). The regression analysis revealed that maternal height as well as fetal biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference (AC), AFM and LL measurements were independent predictors of the FBW (p < .05). In addition, increase in the fetal AFM, AC and femur length (FL) was associated with a significant risk of fetal macrosomia occurrence (p < .05). The equation developed for the FBW estimation [FBW(g) = − 2254,942 + 17,204 * FL (mm) + 105,531 * AC (cm) + 131,347 * AFM (mm)] provided significantly lower mean absolute percent error than standard formula in the sub-group of women with T1DM (5.7% vs 9.4%, p < .05). Moreover, new equation including AC, FL and AFM parameters yielded sensitivity of 93.8%, specificity 77.7%, positive predictive value 54.5% and negative predictive value of 97.8% in the prediction of fetal macrosomia. Conclusions Ultrasound measurements of the fetal soft tissue, heart, liver and umbilical cord are significantly increased among women with GDM treated with insulin and T1DM. In addition to standard biometric measurements, parameters, such as AFM, may find application in the management of diabetes-complicated pregnancies.