Ultrasound evaluation of maternal visceral fat: New outcome marker during pregnancy? v1

Abstract

Quantification of visceral fat by ultrasound during pregnancy has been occupying a prominent role in the medical literature, since it does not use ionizing radiation present in tomography, the high cost of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in addition to the ineffectiveness of body mass index measuring during pregnancy, as indicator of the quantity of accumulated visceral fat. Different ultrasound measurements on the abdomen have been proposed as indicators of the amount of visceral fat. A major example is the Armellini method, which measures at the level of xipho-pubic line with the transducer positioned one centimeter above the umbilical scar and the measurement have to be made from the internal edge of the linea alba, or inner side of the abdominal rectus muscles, until the anterior aortic wall. The measurement of maternal Armellini space will be according the proposal at study of Martin AM et.al (Martin AM, Berger H, Nisenbaum R et al. Abdominal visceral adiposity in the first trimester predicts glucose intolerance in later pregnancy. Diabetes Care 2009;32:1308-1310) using convex probe placed 1cm above the maternal umbilical scar at median sagittal plane position, and using electronic calipers to measure the distance from linea alba to aortic crossa. The final measurement was achieved by the mean measurement among maternal breath cicle at inspiration and expiration.