Skip to main content
Log in

Foot length growth related to crown-rump length, gestational age and weight in human staged fresh fetuses

Croissance de la longueur du pied rapportée à la taille vertexcoccyx, à l'âge gestationnel et au poids chez le fœtus humain — Un index pour l'usage anatomique et médical

An index for anatomical and medical use

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Several anatomical parameters are useful in the assessment of gestational age. This work studies the foot length growth analysed against age, crown-rump length (C-R) and body weight (W) in eighty human fresh fetuses (staging from 14 to 38 weeks postconception). These data were correlated with the following statistical methods: simple regression, power formula (allometric method), exponential and reciprocal models. The foot length growth presents very high and statistically significant coefficients of correlations with fetal parameters (P<0.001); the allometric method was the best method for this analysis. Foot length grows with moderate (against the age and C-R) or slight (against the W) positive allometry. This study presents statistically significant curves of the foot length growth in relation to fetal parameters. These curves are useful in anatomy, forensic medicine, fetopathology, medical imaging, obstetrics and pediatrics.

Résumé

Plusieurs paramètres anatomiques sont utilisés pour estimer l'âge gestationnel. Ce travail étudie la longueur du pied comparée à l'âge gestationnel, à la taille vertex-coccyx et au poids du corps chez 80 fœtus humains non conservés (étagés de 14 à 38 semaines après la conception). Ces données sont étudiées selon les méthodes statistiques suivantes : simple régression, régression multiplicative (méthode allométrique), modèles exponentiels et réciproques. La longueur du pied présente un coefficient de corrélation très élevé et statistiquement significatif, avec les paramètres fœtaux (P<0,001). La méthode allométrique est la meilleure pour cette analyse. La longueur du pied croît avec une allométrie modérée (en comparaison avec l'âge et la taille vertex-coccyx) ou légère (en comparaison avec le poids). Cette étude a permis d'établir des courbes statistiquement significatives des rapports entre la longueur du pied et les paramètres fœtaux. Ces courbes sont utiles en anatomie, en médecine légale, en fœto-pathologie, en imagerie médicale, en obstétrique et en pédiatrie.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Barros RSM, Mandarim-de-Lacerda CA (1989) Relative growth of the human metacarpals in the prenatal period: anatomic basis of preventive surgery for congenital deformities of the hand. Surg Radiol Anat 11: 49–52

    Google Scholar 

  2. Corruccini RS (1978) Relative growth and shape analysis. Homo 28: 222–226

    Google Scholar 

  3. Corruccini RS (1987) Shape in morphometrics:comparative analyses. Am J Phys Anthropol 73: 289–303

    Google Scholar 

  4. Gould SJ (1966) allometry and size in ontogeny and phylogeny. Biol Rev 41: 587–640

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gruenwald P (1966) Growth of the human fetus. I. Normal growth and its variation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 94: 1112–1119

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hattori K (1977) Studies on the growth of the Japanese fetuses. Part 1. Allometric growth of the external dimensions. Jikeikai Med J 24: 11–32

    Google Scholar 

  7. Huxley J (1932) Problems of relative growth. Methuen, London

    Google Scholar 

  8. Jeanty P, Romero R (1984) Estimation fo the gestational age. Seminars in Ultrasound, CT and MR 5: 121–129

    Google Scholar 

  9. Jolicœur P (1975) Linear regressions in fishery research:some comments. J Fish Res Board Can 32: 69–79

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kermack KA, Haldane JBS (1950) Organic correlation and allometry. Biometrika 37: 30–41

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kokoska SM, Johnson LB (1987) A comparison of statistical techniques for analysis of growth curves. Growth 51: 261–269

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mehta L, Singh HM (1972) Determination of crown-rump length from fetal long bones: humerus and femur. Am J Phys Anthropol 36: 165–168

    Google Scholar 

  13. Mercer BM, Sklar S, Shariatmadar A, Gillieson MS, D'Alton ME (1987) Fetal foot length as a predictor of gestational age. Am J Obstet Gynecol 156: 350–355

    Google Scholar 

  14. Ricker WE (1973) Linear regression in fishery research. J Fish Res Board Can 30: 409–434

    Google Scholar 

  15. Scammon RE (1937) Two simple nomographs for estimating the age and some of the major external dimensions of the human fetus. Anat Rec 68: 221–225

    Google Scholar 

  16. Scammon RE, Calkins LA (1924a) The relation between body-length and bodyweight in the human embryo and fetus. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 21: 549–551

    Google Scholar 

  17. Scammon RE, Calkins LA (1924b) The relation between the body-weight and age of the human fetus. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 22: 157–161

    Google Scholar 

  18. Scammon RE, Calkins LA (1929) The development and growth of the external dimensions of the human body in the fetal period. Univ Minnesota Press, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  19. Schmidt-Nielsen K (1984) Scaling; why is animal size so important? Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1981) Biometry, the principles and practice of statistics in biological research. Freeman, New York

    Google Scholar 

  21. Streeter GL (1920) Weight, sitting height, head size, foot length, and menstrual age of the human embryo. Contrib Embryol Carnegie Inst 11: 143–170

    Google Scholar 

  22. Takai S, Akiyoski T, Noriyasu S (1982) Change of body shape during the fetal period. Acta Med Jap 52: 10–14

    Google Scholar 

  23. Teissier G (1948) La relation d'allométrie: sa signification statistique et biologique. Biometrics 4: 14–48

    Google Scholar 

  24. Usher RL, McLean F (1969) Intrauterine growth of live-born caucasian infants born at sea level: standards obtained from measurements in 7 dimensions of infants born between 25 and 44 weeks of gestation. J Pediatr 74: 901–935

    Google Scholar 

  25. Vasconcellos HA, Mandarim-de-Lacerda CA (1988) Human metatarsal growth: an allometrical analysis in prenatal period. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 93: 155–162

    Google Scholar 

  26. Wylie B, Amidon B (1951) Correlation of weight, length, and time factors in fetal age. Am J Obstet Gynecol 61: 193–196

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mandarim-de-Lacerda, C. Foot length growth related to crown-rump length, gestational age and weight in human staged fresh fetuses. Surg Radiol Anat 12, 103–107 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01623332

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01623332

Key words

Navigation