Fat Thickness in the Newborn Infant of a Diabetic Mother

Abstract

Normal standards for fat thickness as measured on chest radiographs of premature and term infants were determined. Infants of diabetic mothers and infants of gestational diabetic mothers have a greater amount of fat for gestational age than normal infants. The radiologist can suspect that the mother of an infant is diabetic from a chest radiograph of the infant by relating the fat thickness to dental and shoulder maturation. This may be particularly important in detecting gestational diabetes when the baby is normal in weight or premature.