Fetal Thymus Size in Pregnant Women with COVID-19 Infection

Ayhan, Şule Göncü; Oluklu, Deniz; Sınacı, Selcan; Atalay, Altay; Erol, Seyit Ahmet; Tokalıoğlu, Eda Özden; Yıldırım, Muradiye; Tekın, Özlem Moraloğlu; Şahın, Dilek

doi:10.21613/gorm.2021.1222

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Since the start of the pandemic, COVID‐19 still is a mystery regarding its fetal effects. To date, there is no evidence to prove vertical transmission, 9 but we know that the fetus is affected by the disease during both the acute and post‐infection periods 10–13 . We hypothesized that fetal cardiac morphology and functions might be influenced negatively in pregnant women after recovering from COVID‐19.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐COVID‐19 fetal cardiac evaluation in moderate infection group of pregnant women

Ayhan

Turgut

Tokalıoğlu

et al. 2022

J of Clinical Ultrasound

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose To determine the long‐term fetal cardiac effects of the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in pregnant women recovered from moderate COVID‐19 with fetal echocardiography (ECHO). Methods Forty‐five pregnant women that recovered from moderate COVID‐19 (CRG) 4 weeks after the infection confirmation, were compared with 45 gestational and maternal age‐matched control groups (CG) in terms of demographic features fetal cardiac morphological (sphericity index, cardiothoracic ratio), and functional (myocardial performance index, mitral E/A, tricuspid E/A, mitral and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion) parameters. Results There was no difference in demographic features between the groups. Fetal cardiac morphologic parameters were found to be similar between the two groups. When the fetal cardiac functional assessment of the two groups was compared, only mitral E/A ratio results were found to be statistically significantly lower in the CRG than in the control group (p = 0.030). Conclusion The fetal heart does not seem to be negatively affected by COVID‐19 after recovery from moderate infection. These results about the fetal effect of SARS‐CoV‐2 may improve our limited knowledge of the utility of fetal ECHO in pregnant women who recovered from COVID‐19.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐COVID‐19 fetal cardiac evaluation in moderate infection group of pregnant women

Ayhan

Turgut

Tokalıoğlu

et al. 2022

J of Clinical Ultrasound

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the diabetic pregnant groups, the median value of the thymus diameter was 9 mm (5. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], and the TT ratio was 0.28 AE 0.08. In healthy pregnant women, the median of thymus measurement was 10.1 mm (6.5-17), and the TT ratio was 0.31 AE 0.06.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As we applied in our study, the thymus can be established between the great vessels posteriorly and the chest wall anteriorly, fetal three vessels, and tracheal surface 3 . We defined the anteroposterior thymic and intrathoracic mediastinal diameter in the three‐vessel view, and the thymic‐thoracic ratio was calculated 6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 We defined the anteroposterior thymic and intrathoracic mediastinal diameter in the three-vessel view, and the thymic-thoracic ratio was calculated. 6 The fetal thymus performs a significant role in the growth of the immune system. 7 Several diseases have been associated with its impaired development 8 such as small for gestational age (SGA), 9 preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), 10 preeclampsia, 11 and chromosomal abnormalities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Decreased fetal thymus size at 24 weeks gestation by ultrasound measurement in gestational diabetes mellitus fetal thymus examination for diabetes

Karaşin

Akselim

Tosun

et al. 2022

J of Obstet and Gynaecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim This study aimed to evaluate the difference in fetal thymus diameter, which we measured ultrasonographically, between the healthy pregnant group and the pregnant group with gestational diabetes. Method Fetal thymus and thymus/thorax ratio parameters were assessed in this case–control study. Patients were examined in two groups. They included 49 diabetics (study group) women and 71 nondiabetic (control group). We performed a binary logistic regression analysis to determine the predictive value of ultrasonographic measurements. We completed the receiver curve characteristic analysis to evaluate the cut‐off thymus diameter. Results The median age of pregnant women was 27. Thymus diameter and thymus‐thorax ratio were smaller in fetuses of diabetic mothers than in the nondiabetic group (p <0.05). Thymus diameter was found to be more predictive of gestational diabetes prediction (p: 0.019). There was no correlation between fasting blood glucose and thymus diameter. Conclusion Decreased fetal thymus anterior–posterior diameter seems to be associated with diabetic pregnancy.

show abstract

“…It has been previously shown that this ratio remains constant in normal fetuses regardless of the gestational week 8 . It has been evaluated in high‐risk pregnancies and aneuploidies in various studies 10–14 . Thymic hypoplasia or aplasia, which was first found to be associated with fetuses with 22q11.2 chromosome deletion and cardiac defects, continues to be of interest 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of fetal thymus size in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases: A case–control study

Yıldırım

Oluklu

Beşer

et al. 2023

J of Clinical Ultrasound

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeTo investigate the fetal thymic‐thoracic ratio (TT‐ratio) in pregnancies diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).MethodsThirty‐two pregnant women with rheumatic disease and 96 low‐risk pregnant women between 20 and 37 weeks were included in the study. Three control patients were randomly selected for each study patient. TT‐ratio was calculated by measuring the anterior–posterior diameter of the thymus and the intrathoracic mediastinal diameter. Data were compared between the study group, including RA and AS, and the control group.ResultsThirty‐two pregnant women with arthritis, 19 diagnosed with RA and 13 with AS, were evaluated. The mean value of the study group TT‐ratio was 0.33; control group, 0.36; a statistically significant difference was found (p < 0.001). Perinatal outcomes were not different when compared with control patients. There was a negative correlation between disease duration, maternal C‐reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and TT‐ratio.ConclusionThis is the first study to prospectively evaluate the fetal TT‐ratio in patients with RA and AS. Systemic inflammation appears to affect fetal thymus size. Appropriate management of maternal rheumatic diseases is essential for developing the thymus, a vital immune system component.

show abstract

Fetal Thymus Size in Pregnant Women with COVID-19 Infection

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Post‐COVID‐19 fetal cardiac evaluation in moderate infection group of pregnant women

Post‐COVID‐19 fetal cardiac evaluation in moderate infection group of pregnant women

Decreased fetal thymus size at 24 weeks gestation by ultrasound measurement in gestational diabetes mellitus fetal thymus examination for diabetes

Assessment of fetal thymus size in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases: A case–control study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About