Relationship of crown heel length, head circumference and chest circumference of newborn with gestational age

Abstract

In the study done by WHO, they have recommended that in areas where the accurate, early weighing of neonate is not feasible, community health workers should be trained to measure the Chest Circumference. Newborns with chest circumference <29 cm should be designated as “highly at risk”. And those with circumference>/-29 cm but <30 cm as “at risk”. It should be noted, however, that this measures has been validated only in terms of its relationship to birth weight and not to perinatal outcomes. All the singleton live born babies born in the hospital were examined within 48 hours of birth. Gestational age was calculated by enquiring into 1st day of mothers last menstrual period and will be subsequently confirmed by New Ballard Score. In the present study it was observed that there is a linear relationship of CHL with the increasing gestational age, which started declining after 39-40 weeks gestation. In the derived normogram based on chest circumference and gestational age it was observed that there is a linear relationship of the chest circumference with increasing gestational age. There is a linear rise of chest circumference with the increasing gestational age, which started declining after 40 weeks gestations.