Ultrasound examination of the bones of the lower leg in human fetuses

Abstract

The study presents the results of intravital ultrasound examination of the tibia and fibula in 32 human fetuses. Morphometric analysis revealed uniform growth of the right and left tibia and fibula during the fetal period. From the 4th to the 10th month of pregnancy, the tibia length increased 2.61–2.64 times, and the fibula length increased 2.66 times. The findings provide normative age-related values for ossification centers of the tibia and fibula, which are important for assessing gestational age, early diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities, and skeletal dysplasias.