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What Does "femur Measuring The 5th Percentile" During Pregnancy Indicate?
Question: I have a question about my wifes pregnancy. She is 35 weeks pregnant. Everything was fine in the pregnancy until her 32 week ultrasound. She had her quad screen at 17 or 18 weeks and all came back negative. She had her 20 week ultrasound and everything was perfectly fine and all limbs, organs and everything looked great BUT her placenta was low so they wanted her to come back for follow up ultrasounds. On her 32 week ultrasound the doctor told her that the femur was measuring the 5th percentile and then on her 35 week ultrasound they doc told her that the femur and humerous was measuring in the 5th percentile.
Could this be dwarfisim or something like that or are there other signs of this that they would have mentioned. The report said everything else is normal.
Could this be dwarfisim or something like that or are there other signs of this that they would have mentioned. The report said everything else is normal.
Brief Answer:
If all else is normal, you should not be worried.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for consulting us.
So, the scans of your baby show relatively shorter long bones ( Femur & Humerus ) during the third trimester. Previous reports were all normal!
This finding is quite difficult to interpret & cause may vary from constitutionally smaller long bones ( genetics of you or your wife may have a role), Asymmetrical IUGR ( Intra uterine growth restriction ) to abnormalities of skeleton like short-limbed dwarfism, Heterozygous Achondroplasia etc. Usually, if all else is normal constitutionally small or an IUGR fetus is the cause. As with Skeletal Dysplasias Femur length is much more smaller & other skeletal or soft tissue abnormalities are also present.
However, you may have a repeat ultrasound from a tertiary level Ultrasound specialist to resole your doubts. You should also take a Neonatal opinion once the baby is born. Till then be optimistic & wish you best of luck.
Take care.
If all else is normal, you should not be worried.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for consulting us.
So, the scans of your baby show relatively shorter long bones ( Femur & Humerus ) during the third trimester. Previous reports were all normal!
This finding is quite difficult to interpret & cause may vary from constitutionally smaller long bones ( genetics of you or your wife may have a role), Asymmetrical IUGR ( Intra uterine growth restriction ) to abnormalities of skeleton like short-limbed dwarfism, Heterozygous Achondroplasia etc. Usually, if all else is normal constitutionally small or an IUGR fetus is the cause. As with Skeletal Dysplasias Femur length is much more smaller & other skeletal or soft tissue abnormalities are also present.
However, you may have a repeat ultrasound from a tertiary level Ultrasound specialist to resole your doubts. You should also take a Neonatal opinion once the baby is born. Till then be optimistic & wish you best of luck.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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