Different postnatal growth between disproportionate and proportionate fetal growth retardation at term.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the postnatal growth of full-term infants with fetal growth retardation (FGR) syndrome and their subgroups (disproportionate and proportionate) after six months of delivery.


METHODS
This is a prospective follow-up study of 200 full-term gestations. We compare 100 FGRs (34 cases of FGR-disproportionate and 66 FGR-proportionate) infants against 100 normal infants/controls. At the sixth months of postnatal life, the infants were subjected to a standard paediatric evaluation and examination.


RESULTS
At the sixth months of postnatal life, the infant weight was 7.183 g +/- 727 in the FGR group vs. 8.019 g +/- 823 in the control group, p < 0.001. 31% of FGR infants were found under the 10th percentile value as read for the 6th months standard, whereas the same value was detected in only 3% of control infants, p < 0.001. Likewise, 38% of FGR cases were under the 10th percentile of height versus 7% of control cases, p < 0.001. Proportionate FGR infants showed a higher increase of height in comparison to those from a disproportionate group (17.3 cm +/- 1.4 vs. 15.5 cm +/- 3.4, p < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between neonatal ponderal index (NPI) and weight gain (R = -0.16, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Six months after delivery, weight and height were lower in FGR infants than in controls. At that age, disproportionate and proportionate FGR infants had similar weight and height, being the height catch-up more significant in proportionate ones.
Nieto
A
A
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital Universitario Principe de Asturias, University of Alcala, School of Medicine, Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Matorras
R
R
Serra
M
M
D001827:Body Height; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D015430:Weight Gain