Which statement best describes the appearance of the brain at 24 weeks gestation on ultrasound compared with term?

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Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes the appearance of the brain at 24 weeks gestation on ultrasound compared with term?

During fetal brain development, the surface of the cortex goes from relatively smooth to increasingly folded as gestation progresses. At about 24 weeks, the brain is still developing its gyri and sulci, so the surface looks smoother and less wrinkled than at term. By term, the cortex is highly gyrified, with many folds, giving a wrinkled appearance on ultrasound. This is why the description of a smoother brain at 24 weeks best fits. Other options aren’t the defining change at this stage: the brain is not more wrinkled than term, the corpus callosum isn’t markedly larger at this specific time point, and myelination is not prominent yet in utero.

During fetal brain development, the surface of the cortex goes from relatively smooth to increasingly folded as gestation progresses. At about 24 weeks, the brain is still developing its gyri and sulci, so the surface looks smoother and less wrinkled than at term. By term, the cortex is highly gyrified, with many folds, giving a wrinkled appearance on ultrasound.

This is why the description of a smoother brain at 24 weeks best fits. Other options aren’t the defining change at this stage: the brain is not more wrinkled than term, the corpus callosum isn’t markedly larger at this specific time point, and myelination is not prominent yet in utero.

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