Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age

Background: Accurate estimation of fetal gestational age (GA) is critical for optimal prenatal care. Fetal foot length (FFL) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its relatively stable growth pattern throughout gestation. Additionally, the femur-to-foot length (FL/FFL) ratio has been propose...

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Main Authors: L. Suganya, R. Sarvesh, T. Shriram
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_575_25
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author L. Suganya
R. Sarvesh
T. Shriram
author_facet L. Suganya
R. Sarvesh
T. Shriram
author_sort L. Suganya
collection DOAJ
description Background: Accurate estimation of fetal gestational age (GA) is critical for optimal prenatal care. Fetal foot length (FFL) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its relatively stable growth pattern throughout gestation. Additionally, the femur-to-foot length (FL/FFL) ratio has been proposed as a method to enhance GA estimation accuracy. Aim: This study aimed to assess relationship between sonographic GA and FFL. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Radiology at Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry. A total of 90 antenatal women with singleton pregnancies between 16 and 34 weeks of gestation were included. FFL and femur length were measured using a Mindray DC 80 ultrasound scanner. Pearson correlation analysis and independent t-tests were performed using SPSS version 26.0, (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) with significance set at P < .05. Results: GA corresponded with ultrasound findings in 93.3% of participants. A strong positive correlation was observed between GA and FFL (r = 0.899, P < .001). Additionally, FFL correlated significantly with BPD (r = 0.915), HC (r = 0.918), AC (r = 0.914), and FL (r = 0.955) (P < .001 for all). The FL/FFL ratio remained stable mean value of 1.0132, reinforcing its reliability as a supplementary marker. Conclusion: Fetal foot length is a reliable marker for GA estimation and exhibits strong correlations with other biometric indices. The stable FL/FFL ratio further supports its use as a supplementary parameter in assessing fetal growth.
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spelling doaj-art-0dfd0e6ad4904c93979e4ba35be4ce632025-08-20T03:31:39ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences0976-48790975-74062025-06-0117Suppl 2S1858S186010.4103/jpbs.jpbs_575_25Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational AgeL. SuganyaR. SarveshT. ShriramBackground: Accurate estimation of fetal gestational age (GA) is critical for optimal prenatal care. Fetal foot length (FFL) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its relatively stable growth pattern throughout gestation. Additionally, the femur-to-foot length (FL/FFL) ratio has been proposed as a method to enhance GA estimation accuracy. Aim: This study aimed to assess relationship between sonographic GA and FFL. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Radiology at Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry. A total of 90 antenatal women with singleton pregnancies between 16 and 34 weeks of gestation were included. FFL and femur length were measured using a Mindray DC 80 ultrasound scanner. Pearson correlation analysis and independent t-tests were performed using SPSS version 26.0, (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) with significance set at P < .05. Results: GA corresponded with ultrasound findings in 93.3% of participants. A strong positive correlation was observed between GA and FFL (r = 0.899, P < .001). Additionally, FFL correlated significantly with BPD (r = 0.915), HC (r = 0.918), AC (r = 0.914), and FL (r = 0.955) (P < .001 for all). The FL/FFL ratio remained stable mean value of 1.0132, reinforcing its reliability as a supplementary marker. Conclusion: Fetal foot length is a reliable marker for GA estimation and exhibits strong correlations with other biometric indices. The stable FL/FFL ratio further supports its use as a supplementary parameter in assessing fetal growth.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_575_25femur-to-foot length ratiofetal biometryfetal foot lengthgestational ageultrasonography
spellingShingle L. Suganya
R. Sarvesh
T. Shriram
Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
femur-to-foot length ratio
fetal biometry
fetal foot length
gestational age
ultrasonography
title Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
title_full Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
title_fullStr Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
title_full_unstemmed Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
title_short Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Fetal Foot Length and the Ratio of the Fetal Femur to Foot Length to Determine the Fetal Gestational Age
title_sort ultrasonographic measurement of the fetal foot length and the ratio of the fetal femur to foot length to determine the fetal gestational age
topic femur-to-foot length ratio
fetal biometry
fetal foot length
gestational age
ultrasonography
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_575_25
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AT rsarvesh ultrasonographicmeasurementofthefetalfootlengthandtheratioofthefetalfemurtofootlengthtodeterminethefetalgestationalage
AT tshriram ultrasonographicmeasurementofthefetalfootlengthandtheratioofthefetalfemurtofootlengthtodeterminethefetalgestationalage