Placental Thickness in the Second Trimester

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the normal sonographically measured placental thickness in millimeters at the second-trimester scan (18 weeks to 22 weeks 6 days) and determine whether the measurement should be adjusted for gestational age and the placental site. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational pilot study involving 114 consecutive patients with singleton pregnancies presenting for routine second-trimester sonography between 18 weeks and 22 weeks 6 days. RESULTS: The unadjusted overall mean placental thickness was 24.6 (SD, 7.29) mm. The placental thickness was normally distributed. On multivariable analysis, the predicted mean thickness was 6.6 mm (95% confidence interval, 4.4 to 8.8 mm; P < .001) less in anterior compared to posterior or fundal placentas and increased by 0.6 mm (95% confidence interval, -0.5 to 1.7 mm; P = .27) for each week increase in gestation after 18 weeks CONCLUSIONS: The placental position and possibly gestational age need to be considered when determining placental thickness. Anterior placentas are approximately 7 mm thinner than posterior or fundal placentas. Anterior placentas of greater than 33 mm and posterior placentas of greater than 40 mm should be considered abnormally thick.