CORRELATION BETWEEN ASCENDING AORTA, PULMONARY TRUNK, AND BRACHIOCEPHALIC TRUNK DIAMETERS DURING FETAL DEVELOPMENT

Authors

  • Felipe Matheus Sant’Anna Aragão Cardiology Resident at the Heart Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (INCOR), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
  • Iapunira Catarina Sant’Anna Aragão Medical Clinic of Municipal Hospital Munir Rafful (MHMR), Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Marcelo Lucas de Lima Prado Medical Student, Department of Medicine, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
  • Bárbara Costa Lourenço General Surgery Resident at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
  • Vera Lúcia Correa Feitosa Titular Professor of Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
  • Francisco Prado Reis Titular Professor of the Medical School, Tiradentes University (UNIT), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil
  • Deise Maria Furtado de Mendonça Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
  • Danilo Ribeiro Guerra Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
  • José Aderval Aragão Titular Professor of Clinical Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2300-3330

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2026v8n2p146-165

Keywords:

Vascular Biometry, Fetal development, Aortic Arch, Innominate Artery, Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities, Ascending Aorta, Brachiocephalic Trunk, External Diameter

Abstract

Introduction: Vascular morphometry plays a key role in diagnosing congenital pathologies and supporting clinical management. Although the diameters of great vessels in adults are well-established, with influences from factors such as age and sex, there remains a gap in the literature regarding their development in fetuses. In particular, the relationship between the diameters of the ascending aorta (AA), pulmonary trunk (PT), and brachiocephalic trunk (BCT) with gestational age and sex, as well as the onset of sexual dimorphism throughout development, remains underexplored. Objective: To investigate the correlation between the diameters of the AA, PT, and BCT with gestational age and sex in human fetuses. Methodology: Thirty-five fetal cadavers (18 male, 17 female), collected between 2012 and 2020 at the Human Anatomy Laboratory of UFS, were analyzed following ethical approval and exclusion of cardiovascular malformations. Gestational age was determined using the hallux-to-calcaneus length method. External diameters of the AA, PT, and BCT were measured with a digital caliper. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient to assess associations with gestational age and Student’s t test to compare differences between sexes. Results: Strong positive correlations were found between gestational age and the diameters of the AA (ρ = 0.710), PT (ρ = 0.701), and BCT (ρ = 0.828) (p < 0.001 for all), confirming consistent growth throughout fetal development. No significant differences were found between males and females (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study provides normative fetal data for the AA, PT, and BCT, demonstrating that vessel diameters increase proportionally with gestational age. The absence of sexual dimorphism in the fetal period suggests that postnatal hormonal and environmental factors may contribute to vascular size differences observed later in life. These findings provide clinically relevant reference values for prenatal diagnosis of vascular abnormalities. In addition, enhance understanding of vascular development.

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Author Biographies

Felipe Matheus Sant’Anna Aragão, Cardiology Resident at the Heart Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (INCOR), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Cardiology Resident at the Heart Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (INCOR), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Iapunira Catarina Sant’Anna Aragão, Medical Clinic of Municipal Hospital Munir Rafful (MHMR), Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Medical Clinic of Municipal Hospital Munir Rafful (MHMR), Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Marcelo Lucas de Lima Prado, Medical Student, Department of Medicine, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Medical Student, Department of Medicine, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Bárbara Costa Lourenço, General Surgery Resident at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

General Surgery Resident at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Vera Lúcia Correa Feitosa, Titular Professor of Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Titular Professor of Molecular Biology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Francisco Prado Reis, Titular Professor of the Medical School, Tiradentes University (UNIT), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil

Titular Professor of the Medical School, Tiradentes University (UNIT), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil

Deise Maria Furtado de Mendonça, Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Danilo Ribeiro Guerra, Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Associate Professor of Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

José Aderval Aragão, Titular Professor of Clinical Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

Titular Professor of Clinical Anatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.

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Published

2026-02-06

How to Cite

Sant’Anna Aragão, F. M., Sant’Anna Aragão, I. C., de Lima Prado, M. L., Lourenço, B. C., Correa Feitosa, V. L., Reis, F. P., Furtado de Mendonça, D. M., Guerra, D. R., & Aragão, J. A. (2026). CORRELATION BETWEEN ASCENDING AORTA, PULMONARY TRUNK, AND BRACHIOCEPHALIC TRUNK DIAMETERS DURING FETAL DEVELOPMENT. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences, 8(2), 146–165. https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2026v8n2p146-165

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2026): BJIHS QUALIS B3 - FATOR DE IMPACTO SJIF 5.807 - ÍNDICE H 19

Section

Original article

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Copyright (c) 2026 José Aderval Aragão, Felipe Matheus Sant’Anna Aragão, Iapunira Catarina Sant’Anna Aragão, Marcelo Lucas de Lima Prado, Bárbara Costa Lourenço, Vera Lúcia Correa Feitosa, Francisco Prado Reis, Deise Maria Furtado de Mendonça, Danilo Ribeiro Guerra

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