Abstract
Background: Assessment of fetal growth is vital in antenatal care for monitoring fetal well-being. Gestational age estimation guides pregnancy evaluation and perinatal management. Although BPD, HC, AC, and FL are commonly used, fetal femoral thickness (FFT) has emerged as a useful additional parameter. Measured at the femoral midshaft, FFT reflects both skeletal and soft-tissue development. It is a simple, non-invasive, and reproducible ultrasound marker, particularly helpful in later trimesters. Correlating FFT with gestational agemay improvegrowth charts and enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Objective: To correlate the gestational age with fetal femoral thickness in normal pregnancy.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the UOL Ultrasound Clinic Green Town Lahore, over a duration 7 months. This study is based on a convenient sampling technique, and includes a population comprised of normal pregnant females from second trimester till term. Females with abnormal pregnancies were not included in this study.
Results: A total of 334 pregnant women with gestational ages ranging from 13 weeks to term and with normal pregnancies were included. The analysis demonstrated a moderate positive correlation between FT/FL and gestational age, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.5535. This association was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The 95% confidence interval for the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.4743 to 0.6237.
Conclusion: There is a significant moderate positive correlation between FL (mm) and FT (mm) or FT(mm) and gestational age, indicating that femur thickness increases with femur length.