Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination
Objective To establish a new technique to easily identify the fetal cervix-uterus complex in normal female fetuses from 20 to 40 weeks of gestation.Material and methods The study was performed in routine examination in normal fetuses by two observers. Twenty-five consecutive cases per gestational we...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Annals of Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2024.2449226 |
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| author | Pedro Azumendi Marisa Borenstein Jesús Salvador Jiménez Ernesto González-Mesa Carlos Corrales Guillermo Azumendi Ignacio Alonso-Usabiaga Juan Gómez-Salgado Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco |
| author_facet | Pedro Azumendi Marisa Borenstein Jesús Salvador Jiménez Ernesto González-Mesa Carlos Corrales Guillermo Azumendi Ignacio Alonso-Usabiaga Juan Gómez-Salgado Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco |
| author_sort | Pedro Azumendi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective To establish a new technique to easily identify the fetal cervix-uterus complex in normal female fetuses from 20 to 40 weeks of gestation.Material and methods The study was performed in routine examination in normal fetuses by two observers. Twenty-five consecutive cases per gestational week were assessed between 20 and 40 weeks. The same plane of the bladder used in the assessment of the umbilical arteries was used. In this transverse view of the fetal pelvis different structures can be identified from front to back: the bladder, the bowel and the vertebral body. If the uterus is present, it can be seen between the bladder and the rectum, as a round structure pushing the posterior bladder wall. The echogenicity changes as the uterus develops and increases its size. Voluson E10 ultrasound device (GEHealthcare Ultrasound®, Zipf, Austria) equipped with an RM6Cprobe was utilized.Results Successful identification of the cervix-uterus complex was possible overall in 83.4% of cases, reaching more than 93% from 31 weeks onwards. There was a rapid growth of the cervix-uterus complex after 26 weeks, and in the third trimester appears as a solid round structure behind the fetal bladder. Reproducibility analysis showed agreement between 2 observers in 92% of cases.Conclusion Identification of the uterus and cervix complex is possible from 20 weeks, although it is easier at the end of gestation. This reproducible technique allows the anatomical study of normal female fetuses and the visualization of kidney malformations and disorders of sexual development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-46a097d9dad14bedb60b55d9eea70438 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0785-3890 1365-2060 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-46a097d9dad14bedb60b55d9eea704382025-01-09T10:04:22ZengTaylor & Francis GroupAnnals of Medicine0785-38901365-20602025-12-0157110.1080/07853890.2024.2449226Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examinationPedro Azumendi0Marisa Borenstein1Jesús Salvador Jiménez2Ernesto González-Mesa3Carlos Corrales4Guillermo Azumendi5Ignacio Alonso-Usabiaga6Juan Gómez-Salgado7Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco8Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit, Centro Gutenberg, Málaga, SpainFetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit, Centro Gutenberg, Málaga, SpainResearch Group in Maternofoetal Medicine, Epigenetics, Women’s Health, and Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital Regional Universitario, Málaga, SpainResearch Group in Maternofoetal Medicine, Epigenetics, Women’s Health, and Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital Regional Universitario, Málaga, SpainFetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit, Centro Gutenberg, Málaga, SpainFetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit, Centro Gutenberg, Málaga, SpainFetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit, Centro Gutenberg, Málaga, SpainDepartment of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, SpainDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences of Ceuta, University of Granada, Ceuta, SpainObjective To establish a new technique to easily identify the fetal cervix-uterus complex in normal female fetuses from 20 to 40 weeks of gestation.Material and methods The study was performed in routine examination in normal fetuses by two observers. Twenty-five consecutive cases per gestational week were assessed between 20 and 40 weeks. The same plane of the bladder used in the assessment of the umbilical arteries was used. In this transverse view of the fetal pelvis different structures can be identified from front to back: the bladder, the bowel and the vertebral body. If the uterus is present, it can be seen between the bladder and the rectum, as a round structure pushing the posterior bladder wall. The echogenicity changes as the uterus develops and increases its size. Voluson E10 ultrasound device (GEHealthcare Ultrasound®, Zipf, Austria) equipped with an RM6Cprobe was utilized.Results Successful identification of the cervix-uterus complex was possible overall in 83.4% of cases, reaching more than 93% from 31 weeks onwards. There was a rapid growth of the cervix-uterus complex after 26 weeks, and in the third trimester appears as a solid round structure behind the fetal bladder. Reproducibility analysis showed agreement between 2 observers in 92% of cases.Conclusion Identification of the uterus and cervix complex is possible from 20 weeks, although it is easier at the end of gestation. This reproducible technique allows the anatomical study of normal female fetuses and the visualization of kidney malformations and disorders of sexual development.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2024.2449226Fetal uterusinternal genitaliaprenatal ultrasounddisorders of sex differentiation |
| spellingShingle | Pedro Azumendi Marisa Borenstein Jesús Salvador Jiménez Ernesto González-Mesa Carlos Corrales Guillermo Azumendi Ignacio Alonso-Usabiaga Juan Gómez-Salgado Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination Annals of Medicine Fetal uterus internal genitalia prenatal ultrasound disorders of sex differentiation |
| title | Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination |
| title_full | Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination |
| title_fullStr | Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination |
| title_short | Prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2D ultrasound examination |
| title_sort | prenatal visualization of the fetal uterus in routine 2d ultrasound examination |
| topic | Fetal uterus internal genitalia prenatal ultrasound disorders of sex differentiation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2024.2449226 |
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