Mathematical modeling of fetal limb growth.

Using ultrasound measurements of the femur, tibia, humerus, radius (N = 515), and fibula and ulna (N = 385) from normal fetuses between 12 and 40 completed weeks of gestation, growth models were determined for each bone by computer analysis. On the basis of residual analysis, growth of fetal limb bones could best be expressed as a function of tangens hyperbolicus. Growth profiles and growth data are shown with 5th, 10th, 50th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. These results are compared with previous investigations of limb bone measurements.