Sonographic study of the development of fetal corpus callosum in a Chinese population

Abstract

Purpose. The observation of fetal corpus callosum (CC) is important for the prenatal sonographic assessment of fetal central nervous system development. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of normal Chinese fetal CC. Method. CC measurements were performed using high-resolution transabdominal sonography on 622 Chinese fetuses between 16 and 39 weeks' gestation. The correlation between CC size and gestational age was investigated. Results. The fetal CC length increased in a linear fashion during pregnancy. The length of the CC as a function of gestational age was expressed by the following regression equation: length (mm) = -9.567 + 1.495 x gestational age (weeks) (r = 0.932, p < 0.001). Conclusion. Knowledge of normal CC appearance may help identify developmental anomalies and enable accurate prenatal counseling. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.