Publication:

Nuchal translucency in first trimester of pregnancy: a descriptive study

Background American college of obstetricians and gynecologists’ (ACOG) committee recommends all women should be offered aneuploidy screening before 20 weeks of gestation. Nuchal translucency (NT) measurement is currently a routine first trimester ultrasound. There is a void in studies of NT measurement in the Nepali population. The objective of the study was to determine the normal value of NT in the Nepalese population.

Methods This was a hospital based descriptive study done in the obstetrics and gynecology department in Nepal medical college and teaching hospital, Jorpati, for one year. All pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic before 11 weeks of gestation with a singleton live fetus, within the study period were considered for the study. The fetal NT at 11-13 weeks was measured.

Results A total of 305 women participated in the study. Twenty-one women were excluded for various reasons, and a total of 284 women were included. The median age of the women was 26 years (IQR, 23-30 years), with a minimum age of 16 years and a maximum age of 41 years. The mean NT was 1.27±0.30 mm with a minimum of 0.6 mm and a maximum of 2.7 mm. There were two women with raised NT. The median Crown Rump length (CRL) was 65 mm (IQR, 54.8-68.3 mm). The minimum CRL was 45 mm and maximum was 79 mm. There was a weak positive correlation of NT with CRL with r=0.15 and p=0.013. The NT of male fetuses was slightly higher as compared to female fetuses (1.30±0.34 mm Vs 1.22±0.24 mm).

Conclusions The normal value of NT in Nepalese population is within 3 mm. There was a weak positive correlation of NT with CRL.