ABSTRACT
Background: Foetal biometric parameters have been used to determine the growth pattern and viability of the foetus; how ever, some studies have suggested that the foetal development are also influenced by the age of the mother and parity (birth order). This research was therefore carried out to establish the effect of maternal age and birth order on foetal biometric parameters of Nigerians. Methods: The study was a prospective cross-sectional study, involving a total of 167 (76 male and 91 female) foetal records obtained from a semi-automated ultra-sonographic image. Four (4) biometric parameters (femur length [FL], abdominal circumference [AC], bi-parietal diameter [BPD], and head circumference [HC], were obtained from the sonographic machine while maternal (age), and birth order were determined after clinical examination and interview by the physician. XLSTAT (Addinsoft, version 2015.4.0.1) ANOVA and correlation were used to evaluate the strength of the relationship between maternal age, birth order and the measured foetal biometric parameters. P<0.05 was taken to be statistically significant at 95% confidence level. Results: The mean ± S.D values of the biometric parameters for both sexes were observed as follows; male (FL = 51.40 ± 18.41mm, AC = 245.56 ± 72.02mm, BPD = 67.74 ± 21.07mm, and HC = 230.07 ± 64.34mm) and female (FL = 50.6 ± 18.31mm, AC = 245.51 ± 67.64mm, BPD = 68.47 ± 20.34mm, HC = 235.07 ± 64.27mm and NBL = 8.04 ± 2.29mm). The mean values of the foetuses of the different birth orders were not significantly different (P>0.05). There was also no significant relationship between parity and maternal age on the foetal parameters (P>0.05). Conclusion: It could be concluded that maternal age and parity are not significant influencers of the foetal growth pattern and development
Subject(s)
Fetal Development , Fetus , Maternal Age , NigeriaABSTRACT
Background: Effective surgical approaches and conclusive forensic investigations will require a well-documented comparative data for specific regions. This study was carried out to generate Nigerian specific morphometric data for the occipital condyle and basilar process and evaluate its application in forensic and clinical anatomy using macerated skull bones. Methods: A total of 141 adult Nigerian skull bones comprising of 126 males and 15 females were used for this study. Side specific (left [L] and right [R]) morphometric measurements were taken for the occipital condyle [OC] (length, maximum and minimum width [Mx OC & MnOC width], post and anterior intercondyle distance [AICD and PICD]). OC morphology was determined by shape and analysis was carried out using the Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS IBM® version 23) t-test was used in assessing sex differences in the measured parameters with confidence level set at 95% and P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The result obtained showed an equal distribution of oval and oblong shaped OC (27% for both), with less frequent crescentic shaped OC (19.9%). The mean (± S.D) of studied parameters were; L-OC Length = 20.98 ± 1.88mm, R-OC length = 20.52 ± 1.93mm, L-MxOC width = 15.11 ± 1.53mm, R-MxOC width = 14.26 ± 1.59mm, L-MnOC width = 10.85 ± 1.23mm, R-MnOC width = 10.76 ± 1.30mm, AICD = 18.09 ± 2.15mm, PICD = 30.85 ± 2.98mm and BP length = 29.37 ± 3.85mm. The paired sample t-test showed that only the MnOC width was bilateral, while OClength and MxOC width were significantly asymmetrical (P<0.001).The t-test showed that all variables except for OC length and MnOC width were significantly larger in males (P<0.05). When the dimensions of the Nigerian skull were compared with foreign values, high racial variability was observed and we had average OC length; not very short neither long, which was relatively safe for OC resection during surgical intervention at that region. Conclusion: It could be concluded that sex, side and racial differences are observable features of the occipital condyle and its morphometric relationship to other structures are useful to forensic experts and surgeons