Imaging of fetal thymus in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases

Purpose: To determine whether certain rheumatic diseases affect fetal thymus diameter in comparison to uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. Additionally we calculated reference charts for fetal thymus size in healthy singleton pregnancies from 19 to 37 weeks of gestation. Material and methods: Sonographic fetal thymus size was retrospectively evaluated in 190 healthy pregnant women and 84 pregnancies of mothers suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus, anti-phospholipid-antibody syndrome or Sjögren's syndrome between 19 and 37 weeks of gestation. These fetuses were matched 1-to-1 for gestational age with cont…