Imaging of fetal thymus in pregnant women with rheumatic diseases

Objective: To determine whether certain rheumatic diseases will affect the fetal thymus diameter when compared to uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. Additionally, we created a reference chart for fetal thymus size in healthy singleton pregnancies from 19 to 37 weeks of gestation.

Methods: Sonographic fetal thymus size was retrospectively evaluated in 190 healthy pregnant women, and 84 pregnancies of mothers suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), or Sjögren's syndrome between 19 and 37 weeks of gestation. These fetuses were matched one-to-one for gestational age with control fetuses. The thymic-thoracic ratio (TTratio) was defined as the quotient of the anteroposterior thymic and the intrathoracic mediastinal diameter.

Results: Rheumatic diseases often affect pregnancy outcome, especially in case of primary APS. The TT ratio of fetuses of mothers suffering from rheumatic disease was equal to controls (P = 0.807).

Conclusions: Ours is the first study to assess the correlation of fetal thymus size in high-risk pregnancies with rheumatic diseases in comparison to controls. Women with rheumatic diseases deal with pregnancy complications more frequently than controls. Our data suggest that maternal rheumatic diseases do not affect the fetal thymus size.