Comparative Analysis of Fetal Kidney Length, Descending Colon Diameter, and Arterial Indices in Intrauterine Growth Restriction Versus Normal Growth Fetuses: A Case-control Study: Fetal Kidney Length, Colon Diameter, and Arterial Indices in Growth-Restricted vs. Normal Fetuses

TL;DR

This study compares fetal kidney length, colon diameter, and arterial indices in IUGR and normal fetuses to identify reliable diagnostic markers.

Contribution

The study identifies arterial resistance indices as effective markers for IUGR diagnosis.

Findings

Normal fetuses had significantly longer kidney lengths and larger renal pelvis diameters compared to IUGR fetuses.

Umbilical and uterine artery resistance indices were higher in IUGR fetuses, while middle cerebral artery indices were higher in normal fetuses.

Descending colon diameter did not differ significantly between IUGR and normal fetuses.

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) refers to poor fetal growth
characterized by a multitude of neonatal complications, necessitating timely
diagnosis and intervention. This study aimed to compare the descending colon
diameter and kidney length between fetuses with IUGR and normal growth.

In this case-control study, a total of 60 participants,
30 pregnant women with IUGR fetuses and 60 women with normal fetuses, referring
to an institutional tertiary hospital in eastern Iran, in 2023, were surveyed.
Variables included demographic data, fetal kidney length, descending colon
diameter, and the pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of maternal
and fetal arteries. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 18.0, with
a significance threshold of P<0.05.

A total of 90 pregnant women with a
mean age of 29.50 ± 6.61 years were included. The prevalence of patients with
occupational employment was significantly higher in the IUGR group (P=0.012).
The mean right and left kidney lengths and the anteroposterior diameter of the
renal pelvis were significantly higher in normal fetuses compared to those with
IUGR (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in descending colon
diameter between the two groups (P=0.071). The RI and PI of the umbilical and
uterine arteries were significantly higher in IUGR fetuses, while the RI and PI
of MCA were higher in normal fetuses (P<0.05).

Descending colon
diameter is not a reliable marker for IUGR diagnosis. However, the use of RI and
PI of umbilical, uterine, and cerebral arteries can be effective in identifying
IUGR.