title: Could birthweight prediction models be improved by adding fetal subcutaneous tissue thickness?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of the study were to: (i) compare the accuracy of standard ultrasonic algorithms in the estimation of fetal weight and; (ii) test two new algorithms in order to improve the global performance of birthweight prediction by adding fetal subcutaneous tissue thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 398 patients who were between 34 and 42 weeks' gestation. Routine ultrasonographic biometric parameters as well as subcutaneous tissue thickness ultrasound parameters were measured. Correlation matrices between ultrasound parameters, in order to evaluate the degree of multicollinearity between these parameters, were assessed to develop a stepwise multiple regression birthweight predictive model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Contributions of single ultrasound measurements in predicting birthweight were examined, by fitting Log-transformed birthweight versus single ultrasound measurements. We found that the mid-thigh tissue area was able to significantly improve the performance of the birthweight prediction process when added to the other standard ultrasound measurements. We derived two new algorithms which appeared to be better at predicting birthweight. Furthermore there was a lower minimum absolute estimation error noted when compared to other reported formulae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our algorithms showed that the addition of the mid-thigh tissue evaluation in birthweight prediction was valuable in comparison to birthweight prediction models which are based on routine ultrasound parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Perinatal Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. giovanni@giovannilaciprete.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Larciprete
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Pierro
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbati
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deaibess
authors.forename: Sheba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jarvis
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Valensise
authors.forename: Maria Elisabetta
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Romanini
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arduini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology; D013848:Thigh / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*