The value of diagnostic ultrasound as a screening test for intrauterine growth retardation: comparison of nine parameters.
In an attempt to devise a screening method for the detection of unsuspected IUGR, a battery of ultrasonic measurements of the fetus were performed in a series of 255 patients at approximately 32, 34, and 36 weeks. The results obtained from the 16 growth-retarded and the 239 normally grown babies were evaluated. While no single measurement was found to discriminate the two groups, a simple combination of crown-rump length times area of trunk allowed us to identify an at-risk group comprising 11 per cent of the population. The false positive and false negative results were acceptable at levels of 10 and 6 per cent, approximately. It is considered that these results would justify a larger and prospectively randomized controlled trial to assess the benefits and drawbacks of applying these measurements in a screening schedule.
D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012306:Risk; D014463:Ultrasonography