Objective: The objective of this study was to obtain a nomogram of the fetal alveolar ridge development, as a basis for the diagnosis of primary cleft palate.
Design: A cross-sectional study of 323 normal pregnant women of 14-32 weeks' gestation. Several biometric measurements were obtained throughout pregnancy, including the width of the fetal alveolar ridge.
Results: A nomogram of the width of the fetal alveolar ridge during 14-32 weeks' gestation is presented. A linear growth function was observed between alveolar ridge width and gestational age, biparietal diameter, head circumference, femoral length and humeral length. The alveolar ridge width in all eight cases of cleft palate was above two standard deviations and the 90th centile of our nomogram.
Conclusion: We provide a nomogram of the growth of the fetal alveolar ridge between 14 and 32 weeks' gestation. This will aid the detection of primary cleft palate during routine prenatal sonography.