Prediction of Fetal Macrosomia Using Ultrasonographic Measurements of Placental Volume and Thickness, Umbilical cord Thickness, fetal Interventricular Septum Thickness in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes

Background: Fetal macrosomia is recognized to be at risk due to diabetes throughout pregnancy. Objective: Evaluation of the impact of ultrasound measurements of placental volume and thickness, umbilical cord thickness, and fetal interventricular septum thickness in fetal macrosomia prediction in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Patients and Methods: After receiving their consent, 70 gestational diabetes-positive pregnant women were enrolled in the study. They were then split into two equal groups: the study group, which included 35 patients with gestational diabetes was diagnosed, and the control group, which included 35 pregnant women in good health who were gathered from the obstetric inpatients and outpatient clinics of Al- Hussein and Al-Azhar University Hospitals and attended for routine antenatal care. At 27–28 weeks' gestation and again at 36–37 weeks' gestation, ultrasound exams were used to measure the volume and thickness of the placenta, the thickness of the umbilical cord, and the thickness of the fetal interventricular septum. Results: The umbilical cord thickness (cm) 2.77 0.72 versus 2.06 0.44, the interventricular septum thickness (cm) 0.85 0.20 versus 0.53 0.08, and the placental volume (cm3) were all statistically significantly higher in the GDM and macrosomic group compared with the controls; however, the placental thickness (cm) was statistically significantly lower in the GDM and macrosomic group compared with the controls. Conclusion: In situations of pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus, sonographic evaluation of interventricular septum thickness was the most reliable indicator of fetal macrosomia.