Abstract
Objective: Birth weight is an important predictive parameter for neonatal morbidity and mortality. Accurate estimation of fetal weight is therefore a valuable tool for determining further obstetric management. Commonly used weight formulae have a lack of accuracy. The aim of this study was to develop and to evaluate new formulae specifically designed for different ranges of fetal abdominal circumference (AC). Methods: This study included 5314 pregnancies. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, ultrasound examination with complete biometric parameters within 7 days before delivery, and absence of structural or chromosomal malformations. With regard to sonographic AC measurements, four subgroups were built (AC: ≤290 mm; AC: 291–330 mm; AC: 331–359 mm; AC: ≥ 360 mm). For each population, best-fit formulae were derived by forward regression analysis with standard biometric measurements as independent variables and birth weight and log(birth weight) as dependent variables, respectively. Finally, accuracy of the new formulae was compared with commonly used weight equations. Results: In all subgroups, except for AC measurements between 331–359 mm, the new weight formulae demonstrated significantly improved accuracy compared to commonly used formulae. Conclusion: Especially in the lower und upper ranges of AC measurements, specifically designed equations help to improve fetal weight estimation.
Published Version
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