ABSTRACT
We sought to determine whether three-dimensional (3D) placental volume measurements
can be assessed in normal pregnancies between 11 and 13 weeks' gestation with good
intraobserver accuracy. Twenty normal pregnancies were included. Placental volume
was determined twice, using the virtual organ computer-aided analysis method. Three-dimensional
placental volume measurements were performed by a single physician. Patients with
multiple pregnancies, first-trimester bleeding, and abnormal placental appearance
were excluded. Intraobserver reliability was evaluated by kappa analysis, and Student
t test was performed for continuous variables. Mean placental volume (MPV) was 67.5 ± 26.7
mL3 between 11 and 13 weeks' gestation. No significant differences were noted between
the two examinations performed (MPV of 67.5 ± 26.7 mL3 during the first versus 65.6 ± 29.1 mL3 during the second examination; p = 0.826). Moreover, the intraobserver agreement was excellent as indicated by kappa
of 0.8. Placental volume can be assessed by 3D sonography between 11 and 13 weeks'
gestation with minimal deviations. Nevertheless, the broad variability in placental
volume with a wide standard deviation makes its clinical significance questionable.
KEYWORDS
Placental volume - three-dimensional sonography - early pregnancy - intraobserver
reliability
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Eyal SheinerM.D. Ph.D.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center P.O. Box
151
Beer-Sheva 84101 Israel
Email: sheiner@bgu.ac.il