Clinical value of prenatal ultrasound on detecting fetal spleen

Objective To explore the clinical value of prenatal ultrasound on detecting fetal spleen. Methods 1 850 normal cases and 34 cases of splenic abnormalities, including fetal anemia(31 cases) and intrauterine infection(3 cases), were included. All fetuses underwent standard ultrasound fetal biometry, routine fetal screening and splenic length and thickness measurement. The ultrasonic imaging and the size of fetal spleen in the two group of fetuses were compared and relevant statistical analysis was performed. Results ①In 1 850 cases, the fetal spleen visual rate under prenatal ultrasound was 98.1%. ②Linear regression analysis showed that there was a linear relationship between the thickness, spleen diameter and gestational age(GA) with simplified equation as follows: splenic length (mm)=GA, splenic thinckness (mm)=GA×0.5-4.③ In the 34 abnormal cases, the size of fetal spleen were significantly larger than those in normal fetuses. Conclusions It is important to detect fetal spleen by prenatal ultrasound which can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of fetal anemia and intrauterine infection. Key words: Ultrasonography, prenatal; Spleen; Anemia; Infection