Ultrasonic estimation of fetal weight at term: an evaluation of eight formulae.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the accuracy of eight sonographic formulae for predicting fetal birth weight at term in a multiethnic population.


METHODS
Pregnant women at term who were booked for induction of labor or elective cesarean section were included in the study. Eight ultrasonic fetal biometric formulae were used to predict fetal birth weight.


RESULTS
A total of 173 patients were included in the study; 53 (30.6%) patients were from the Indian subcontinent, 44 (25.4%) patients were from Africa, 33 (19.1%) patients were from the Arabian Peninsula and 43 (24.9%) were from other ethnic groups. The mean absolute error ranged from a minimum of 0.3% (+/-11.3) for Hadlock (biparietal diameter [BPD], head circumference [HC], abdominal circumference [AC], femur length [FL]) to a maximum of 37.5% (+/-10.0) for Warsof (FL). The correlation of estimated fetal weight with actual birth weight ranged from a minimum of 0.09 with Warsof (FL) to a maximum of 0.77 with Shepard and Warsof (BPD, AC) and Hadlock (BPD, HC, AC, FL). The combination of AC with BPD measurements rather than FL achieves a high level of accuracy.


CONCLUSIONS
Shepard (BPD, AC) provides a simple and accurate logarithm for the prediction of fetal weight at term in the studied multiethnic population.
Mirghani
Hisham M
HM
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Weerasinghe
Sarath
S
Ezimokhai
Mutaira
M
Smith
John R
JR
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001724:Birth Weight; D044383:Black People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*