The significance of ultrasound scanning in diagnosing and prognostication of disorders of the reproductive system in girls born with fetal growth retardation syndrome
The author performed an echographic measurement of the uterus and ovaries in 170 girls born with fetal growth retardation syndrome (FGRS) (basic group) and 182 girls born with the body weight 3200-3600 g (control group). It was found that the anteroposterior size of the uterus in the girls with FGRS was considerably less at the age of 13-14 years, and at 15-16 years the secretion phase was characterized by a slower growth of the endometrium. By the end of the pubertal period, in the girls with FGRS the thickness of the endometrium decreased to the values that corresponded to the age of 13-14 years. In this phase, the thickness of the endometrium was less by 1.8 times than in the girls of the same age who had normal body weight at birth. In the group of girls with FGRS, a complete absence of the process of maturation of antral follicles was diagnosed. The conclusion has been made that during the whole pubertal period in girls born with FGRS the growth and development of the uterus are retarded and do not achieve the adequate size by 18 years. Based on the echostructure of the ovaries, a moderate functional follicular insufficiency has been revealed.