Objective

: To establish the usefulness of fetal cerebellar transverse diameter measurement for the prediction of gestational age.

Design

: Prospective, longitudinal, cohort study. Institution: Hospital Central "Dr. Urquinaona", Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Participants

: Women with low-risk singleton pregnancies, between 14 and 40 weeks of gestation.

Methods

: Biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, femur length, and transverse diameter of the fetal cerebellum were measured during the duration of pregnancy. Main outcome measures: Prediction of gestational age by measurement of the transverse diameter of the cerebellum.

Results

: Data from 215 pregnant women were selected. A total of 3,858 total evaluations were performed, with the lowest number of evaluations 131 at 18 weeks and the highest number 157 at 28 weeks. The transverse diameter of the cerebellum presented strong, positive, and significant correlations with gestational age by date of last menstrual period and ultrasound measurements (p < 0.001). The model of gestational age predicted by the transverse diameter of the cerebellum reached a value of the coefficient of determination of 0.908. The correlation between gestational age by date of last menstrual period and that predicted by the model reached a value of r = 0.953 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

: Measurement of the transverse diameter of the cerebellum is a useful parameter for predicting gestational age in healthy pregnant women.

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