Crown-rump length
The crown-rump length , SSL for short , is the length of a fetus in millimeters from the highest point of the head to the rump; the length with legs is more difficult to measure because of the hunched position of the fetus.
The SSL is measured during ultrasound examinations and allows conclusions to be drawn about the child's level of development, diseases or undesirable developments. It is mainly used to determine the gestational age and is replaced in the course of pregnancy by the biparietal head diameter or the thorax diameter . From the fourth month onwards, these two parameters can be used to better assess a deviation from the child's normal body dimensions. The SSL is also determined here, but rather to control the gestational age.
For the measurement, the doctor marks the child's head and rump on the ultrasound image. The SSL is calculated either by nomograms or by the ultrasound device. It is often noted on the printout of the first ultrasound images.
A new study suggests that a low crown-rump length in the first trimester may indicate later cardiovascular risks. Primary school age children with growth retardation in the first trimester had an increased BMI with an unfavorable fat distribution, increased blood pressure values and poorer cholesterol values .
Individual evidence
- ↑ VWV Jaddoe, LL de Jonge, A. .. Hofman, OH Franco, EAP Steegers, R. .. Gaillard: First trimester fetal growth restriction and cardiovascular risk factors in school age children: population based cohort study. In: BMJ. 348, 2014, pp. G14-g14, doi : 10.1136 / bmj.g14 .