The prognosis of fetuses with a shortened femur and humerus length before 20 weeks of gestation

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of fetuses with a shortened femur and humerus length detected at earlier than 20 weeks of gestation. Methods: The study population consisted of 549 Japanese pregnant women. The prognosis of the shortened femur and humerus length fetuses was evaluated and the predictivity of the shortened femur and humerus length for chromosomal abnormalities and structural malformations was also calculated. Results: All seven shortened femur and humerus length fetuses had some kind of structural malformations and three fetuses also had chromosomal abnormalities. The detection rate, positive predictive value and false positive rate for structural malformations were 17.9%, 100% and 0%, respectively. The positive predictive value for chromosomal abnormalities was 43%. Conclusion: The shortened femur and humerus length fetuses in Japanese women demonstrated an increased risk of structural malformations, especially in the cardiovascular system, as well as chromosomal abnormalities. (C) 1997 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.