Sonographic measurement of corpus spongiosum in male fetuses

Objective To establish a nomogram of the corpus spongiosum dimensions in male fetuses and to evaluate its correlation with penile length. These references can be useful when fetal genital anomalies are suspected, particularly to distinguish micropenis from concealed penis cases. Method A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 486 fetuses of normal singleton pregnancies between 18 and 40 weeks. Corpus spongiosum length, penile length, penile diameter and scrotal diameter were measured by one operator. All measurements were analyzed according to gestational age. Results The four measurements were studied as a function of gestational age. Median values, 3rd and 97th percentiles were determined using regression curves. A correlation between penile length and corpus spongiosum length (r2 = 0.845) was observed. Conclusion We established measurements of the length of fetal corpus spongiosum and a correlation between the former and the penile length. These references can be useful when fetal genital anomalies are suspected. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.