Intrauterine growth retardation risk detection for fetuses of unknown gestational age

Abstract

A method of plotting growth rate of the biparietal diameter against the concurrent size of the biparietal diameter was used to assess risk of intrauterine growth retardation. The technique does not require knowledge of gestational age of the fetus. Therefore, it is uniquely useful for patients with unknown or uncertain menstrual dates who present relatively late in pregnancy when a reliable estimate of gestational age cannot be sonographically obtained. One hundred twenty-one patients were studied. Ninety-seven percent of the fetuses who demonstrated a normal rate of growth were either appropriate or large for gestational age by weight. Thirty-five percent of the fetuses who had a subnormal rate of growth of the biparietal diameter were intrauterine growth retarded by weight. The data presented support the use of this technique for assessing the risk for intrauterine growth retardation, when an accurate estimate of gestational age cannot be made.