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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1514504
Pregnancy outcomes of 4200 fetuses with increased nuchal translucency in Henan, China
Provisionally accepted
Zhenglong Guo Wenke Yang Qiongrui Zhao Yuwei Zhang Xin Wang 
Jinming Wang Ruili Wang 
Bingtao Hao 
Shixiu Liao *- Department of Medical Genetics, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
Background and Objective: Increased nuchal translucency (NT) thickness measured at 11-14 weeks of gestation in fetuses has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate pregnancy outcomes in fetuses with NT ≥3.0 mm.Methods: This retrospective analysis included 4200 singleton pregnancies diagnosed with increased NT thickness (≥3.0 mm) through first-trimester ultrasound screening across 76 hospitals in Henan Province from 2017 to 2021. Follow-up on pregnancy outcomes was completed through telephone interviews and electronic medical records.Results: Among the 4200 pregnancies with NT ≥3.0 mm, adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed in 31.5% of the fetuses. These outcomes included elective termination of pregnancy (TOP), spontaneous abortion (SA), threatened abortion (TA) and live birth with malformations. A total of 547 fetuses underwent further examination through karyotype analysis after genetic counseling, revealing that 10.2% were aneuploid, primarily due to Trisomy 21 (7.1%).Conclusions: The incidence of increased NT in our study was 0.49%, which was associated with chromosomal abnormalities and developmental disorders, leading to an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Abnormal ultrasound soft markers, along with NT>4 mm, may further elevate the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. These findings should be taken seriously in the context of further prenatal diagnosis for fetuses with increased NT.
Keywords: Nuchal translucency thickness, Pregnancy Outcome, First-trimester screening, Chromosome abnormalities, Ultrasound soft indicators, Prenatal diagnosis was 0.49%
Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 18 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, Yang, Zhao, Zhang, Wang, Wang, Wang, Hao and Liao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shixiu Liao, Department of Medical Genetics, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
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