Fetal anterior abdominal wall thickness may be an early ultrasonographic sign of gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate standard biometric measurements, such as biparietal diameter (BPD), femur length (FL), abdominal circumference (AC), estimated fetal weight (EFW) and anterior abdomen wall thickness (AAWT) in fetuses complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) at the time of GDM screening, and to compare the results with healthy pregnant controls.

Methods: A total of 124 pregnant women between 26 and 28 weeks’ gestation were included in the study. These patients were divided into two groups based on their 75-g oral glucose tolerance test results. The study group consisted of 55 pregnant women with GDM, and 69 healthy pregnant women constituted our control group.

Results: The study groups did not differ with respect to the mean BPD, FL, AC and EFW; however, the mean AAWT was significantly higher in the GDM group, 4.07?±?0.46 mm versus 3.28?±?0.37 mm in the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The only fetal sonographic measurement found to significantly differ between the study groups was the AAWT in 26 weeks at the time of gestational diabetes screening, suggesting that measuring the AAWT may have a role in the evaluation of fetal growth in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes.