IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 22 / Issue 4 / pii/1995042

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Case Report

Maternal ultrasound bone density in normal pregnancy

Show Less
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 1995, 22(4), 268–278;
Published: 10 December 1995
Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pregnancy on maternal bone mineral density by an ultrasound device. Study methods: Two hundred and thirty consecutive healthy pregnant women were evalua­ted by ultrasound densitometry during the 1st (n=45), the 2nd (n=56) and the 3rd (n=129) trimester of pregnancy, measuring the velocity (SoS) and frequency attenuation (BUA) of an ultra­sound wave as it passes through the os calcis. Speed of sound (SoS) and Broadmand Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA) values are combined in order to express a relational variable (Stiffness), indi­cator of bone quality. Results: Statistically significant reductions in SoS, BUD and Stiffness values were observed du­ring the trimester vs the 1st and the 2nd trimesters. Negative statistically significant relations were found between the gestational age and ultrasound densitometry parameters. Conclusion: A linear reduction of ultrasound bone density was observed throughout pregnancy, reaching a statistical significance in the 3rd trimester, when the greatest calcium transfer from the mother to the fetus occurs.

Keywords
Ultrasound
Bone density
Bone loss
Pregnancy
Share
Back to top