Obstetric pelvimetry by three-dimensional computed tomography in non-pregnant Japanese women: a retrospective single-center study

Abstract

Objective

While a basic understanding of pelvic size and typology is still important for obstetricians, pelvic measurement data for Japanese women are very scarce. To our best knowledge, no large-scale pelvimetry studies of Japanese women have been made for the past 50 years. This study aimed to investigate the accurate size, particularly the obstetric conjugate (OC) and transverse diameter of the pelvic inlet (TD), of modern Japanese women, using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT), and to obtain their reference values.

Methods

This retrospective, single-center observational study enrolled Japanese non-pregnant women aged between 20 and 40 years, who underwent pelvic CT examination from 2016 to 2021. CT was performed for various reasons, including acute abdomen, search for cancer metastases, and follow-up of existing disease. However, no cases were taken for pelvic measurements. Pelvimetry was performed retrospectively using a 3D workstation. The OC was measured on a strict lateral view and the TD was measured on an axial-oblique view. Other clinical data, such as age, height, and weight, were also extracted from the medical charts and analyzed.

Results

A total of 1,263 patients were enrolled, with the mean age of 32.7 years (standard deviation [SD] 6.2). The mean height, weight, and body mass index were 158.8 cm (SD 5.8), 54.8 kg (SD 11.7), and 21.7 kg/m² (SD 4.4), respectively. The mean OC length was 127.0 mm (SD 9.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 126.5–127.5), while the mean TD length was 126.8 mm (SD 7.5, 95% CI 126.4–127.2). Both values were normally distributed. Height was significantly associated with OC (regression coefficient = 0.75 [95% CI 0.66–0.84], p < .001) and TD (regression coefficient = 0.63 [95% CI 0.56–0.70], p < .001). Age showed a weak but statistically significant positive association with TD (regression coefficient = 0.14 [95% CI 0.07–0.20], p < .001) and OC (regression coefficient = −0.10 [95% CI −0.18 to −0.01], p = .026).

Conclusion

The 3D CT pelvimetry in 1,263 non-pregnant Japanese women of childbearing age revealed the mean OC and TD of 127.0 mm, and 126.8 mm, which were 11.8 mm and 4.3 mm larger, respectively, than those in the survey in 1972. Our data will be referred to in clinical practice as the standard pelvic measurement values for the Japanese population.

Keywords:

• Cephalopelvic disproportion
• contracted pelvis
• obstetric conjugate
• pelvimetry
• three-dimensional computed tomography
• transverse diameter of the pelvic inlet

Acknowledgement

We appreciate Mr. Satoshi Kozawa, RT (Department of Radiology, Kyoto University Hospital, Japan), for helpful discussions. We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.