Antro-pyloric canal values from early prematurity to full-term gestational age: an ultrasound study

Abstract

Purpose. To evaluate antro-pyloric canal dimensions from early prematurity to full-term gestational age. Materials and methods. Ninety infants with no signs of regurgitation or vomiting were studied 3–5 days after birth. Their gestational ages ranged from 26 to 41 weeks (mean 33.7 weeks) and the body weight from 670 to 4150 g (mean 2067 g). Antro-pyloric muscle thickness, canal length and canal width were measured. Results. A positive correlation between gestational age, muscle thickness (R = 0.71, P < 0.001), length (R = 0.63, P < 0.001) and width (R = 0.42, P < 0.001) was found. Furthermore, a positive correlation between body weight, muscle thickness (R = 0.82, P < 0.001) length, (R = 0.67, P < 0.001) and width (R = 0.55, P < 0.001) was observed. Conclusions. This study shows that antro-pyloric canal dimensions increase with gestational age. Moreover, it provides normal values for muscle thickness, canal length and canal width from the early gestation to full term.