Intrapartum prediction of birth weight: clinical versus sonographic estimation based on femur length alone.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relative accuracy of predicting birth weight by clinical estimate versus sonographic mensuration of femur length (FL) alone.


METHODS
Two hundred pregnant women at term and in early labor had the weight of their fetuses estimated by clinical and sonographic methods.


RESULTS
Clinical assessment of birth weight had a significantly lower mean standardized absolute error (90.6 g/kg) than sonographic estimate based on FL alone (106.7 g/kg) (P < .05). Clinical estimates were significantly more often within 5% (35%) of actual birth weight than were those derived sonographically (29%) (P = .005).


CONCLUSIONS
Using FL alone to predict birth weight has no advantage over a clinical estimate among term patients in labor.
Chauhan
S P
SP
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Lutton
T C
TC
Bailey
K J
KJ
Morrison
J C
JC
D001724:Birth Weight; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal