title: [Echography in the first pregnancy trimester has prognostic value].
abstract: Clinical and ultrasound data of 403 first-trimester pregnancies were collected prospectively. Consequences for determination of gestational age as well as the risk of spontaneous abortion were investigated. There was a clear relation between embryonal growth delay and the risk of spontaneous abortion: the risk of spontaneous abortion was significantly higher if the crown-rump length lagged 7 or more days behind the expected gestation time based on the duration of the amenorrhoea (16% versus 5.0%; p less than 0.01). It is important to know the exact duration of pregnancy, because a difference of one or two weeks can be critical in terms of survival or disability. 22.7% of the pregnant women who had a regular menstrual cycle before this pregnancy appeared to have an embryonal growth delay of seven days or more in relation to the reference curve. This illustrates the necessity of crown-rump length measurements in order to obtain accurate assessment of gestational age, which is fundamental in obstetric care.
authors.affiliation: Spaarne Ziekenhuis, afd. Verloskunde en Gynaecologie, Haarlem.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koornstra
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Exalto
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal
vernacular_title: Echografie in het eerste trimester van de zwangerschap prognostich waardevol.