The Role of Abdominal Ultrasound in the Prediction of GDM in Early Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: To detect gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women as soon as possible, this study aimed to investigate the role of ultrasound in predicting GDM in early pregnancy by measuring the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Methods: This paper is a longitudinal study performed on pregnant women at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy. All the women referred during this period were screened for the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue, which was measured using trans-abdominal ultrasound. The patients were followed up by performing the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between the weeks of 24 and 28. Finally, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness and other variables were compared between women with and without GDM. Oral consent was obtained from patients. Results: Overall, 210 pregnant women at 11-14 weeks of gestation were enrolled in the study. The mean of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness was measured using linear probe ultrasound as 1.72±0.33 mm. The incidence of GDM was significantly associated with maternal age and weight, parity, family history of diabetes, and histories of preeclampsia, hypertension, and recurrent abortion. There was also a statistically significant relationship between GDM and ultrasound-derived subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness at weeks 11-14 of pregnancy (P<0.0001). At the cut-off point of 2.01, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) values were 91%, 92%, and 0.96, respectively. Conclusion: Measuring the thickness of the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue during early pregnancy may be useful in predicting GDM in the second trimester of pregnancy. Maternal higher age and weight gain, increased parity, and positive family histories of diabetes, preeclampsia, hypertension, and recurrent abortion may also increase the risk of GDM.