title: Fetal biophysical profile monitoring and perinatal outcome.
abstract: A prospective study of 109 high risk pregnancies on whom 279 fetal biophysical (FBP) examinations were performed showed positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 71.4%, respectively in the last FBP examination prior to delivery. The study confirmed other reports in the literature of a high correlation between normal examination and satisfactory perinatal outcome. The absence of perinatal mortality within one week of a normal FBP examination, which was also in agreement with other reported studies, reaffirms the reassuring nature of a normal examination. The high positive predictive value in our study may be due to several factors, including the use of a protocol which ensured standardization of the patient's condition prior to examination as well as repeat evaluations after non-reassuring tests. FBP evaluation is considered a simple, reliable and useful examination for the management of high risk pregnancies. Its main value would appear to be a reduction in the number of high risk pregnancy patients who would otherwise have been admitted on the basis of the clinical findings.
authors.affiliation: Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Makanjuola
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Akande
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Malabarey
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Al-Meshari