Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Fetal Thymic-Thoracic Ratio in Pregnant Women With Asthma
Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, cilt.53, sa.4, ss.785-791, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 53 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1002/jcu.23939
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Clinical Ultrasound
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, CINAHL
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.785-791
- Anahtar Kelimeler: asthma, fetal thymus, inflammation, thymic-thoracic ratio
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Purpose: To investigate the thymic-thoracic ratio (TTR) in pregnant women with asthma to determine whether fetal thymus size is affected in this condition. Methods: A total of 139 patients, 69 patients diagnosed with asthma and 70 controls were prospectively included in the study at a single tertiary center. Eighteen of the patients diagnosed with asthma experienced at least one asthma attack, while 51 patients did not have any asthma attacks during pregnancy. TTR was calculated from the anterior-posterior dimensions of the thymus and intrathoracic mediastinal measurements. Results: TTR was found to be statistically significantly lower in patients with asthma compared to the controls (p < 0.001). The rate of neonatal intensive care unit admission was higher and the TTR value was lower among the cases presenting with an asthma attack during pregnancy compared to patients without asthma attack and controls (p = 0.043 and p = 0.001, respectively). A statistical difference was found between patients with and without asthma attacks regarding the use of medication for asthma (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The fetal thymus has been found to be affected in patients with asthma. The TTR is lower in patients who have asthma attacks during pregnancy and in patients taking medication for treatment, which may be related to chronic inflammatory process as well as to the use of exogenous steroids.