Ultrasound-determined fetal subcutaneous tissue thickness for a birthweight prediction model.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to explore a birthweight prediction model using ultrasound determined tissue thickness (SCTT) parameters.


METHODS
We measured routine ultrasonographic biometric parameters and in addition, fetal SCTT in 201 healthy singleton pregnancies. Mid-arm fat and lean mass, mid-thigh fat and lean mass, subscapular fat mass and abdominal fat mass (AFM) were measured in order to calculate a birthweight prediction model. Ultrasound measurements were analyzed using an 'anovarepeated measures model'. The growth rate (beta-slope) of the selected parameters was computed and the correlation coefficient with the birthweight and the Kendall rank correlation tau, were calculated.


RESULTS
From the ultrasound determined SCTT parameters, only abdominal circumference (AC), AFM, and MTLM showed a statistically significant trend. The beta-slope of mid-thigh lean mass was excluded since it exhibited significant correlation with the beta-slope of AFM. The final regression model could be calculated as: birthweight (gr.) = intercept +alpha(1)(AFM beta-slope) + alpha(2)(AC beta-slope), where alpha(1), alpha(2) represent regression coefficients.


CONCLUSIONS
We provide a graphical birthweight prediction model for clinical practice using conventional and specific ultrasound measurements of fetal subcutaneous tissue thickness. This model is based upon an overall analysis of the ultrasound estimated body components.
Larciprete
Giovanni
G
Department of Perinatal Medicine, Tor Vergata University, and AFaR (Associazione Fatebenefratelli per la Ricerca), Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina Hospital, Rome, Italy. giovanni@giovannilarciprete.it
Valensise
Herbert
H
Barbati
Giulia
G
Di Pierro
Giuseppe
G
Jarvis
Sheba
S
Deaibess
Therese
T
Gioia
Stefano
S
Giacomello
Francesco
F
Cirese
Elio
E
Arduini
Domenico
D
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology*; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*