Biparietal diameter: an alternative measure of head growth in the low-birthweight infant.
Reliability and validity of biparietal diameter (BPD) compared with head circumference (HC) measurement as an index of cranial growth was assessed. A significant correlation between BPD and HC (r = 0.857; p less than 0.0001) and an interobserver reliability of 92% were found. Infants' age and sex had independent effects on BPD growth rate. Very sick infants had a lower increase in BPD rate than healthy controls. It is suggested that in sick premature infants, when the head is encumbered by various types of apparatus, this technique might prove more feasible than HC measurement.
Tirosh
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Hannah Khoushy Child Development Centre, Haifa, Israel.
Weinger
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MA
Berger
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Cohen
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D002508:Cephalometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results