title: Suspected macrosomia? Better not tell.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the management policy of delivery in a suspected macrosomic fetus and to describe the outcome of this policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this prospective observational study we followed the management by reviewing the medical records of 145 women and their infants. The study population included women at term admitted to the obstetrics department with suspected macrosomic infants, as was diagnosed by an obstetrician and/or by fetal sonographic weight estimation of > or =4,000 g. The comparison group (n = 5,943) consisted of all women who gave birth during the data collection period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Induction of labor and cesarean delivery rates in the macrosomic pregnancies (actual birth weight >4,000 g) of the study group were significantly higher when compared with the macrosomic pregnancies of the comparison group. When comparing the non-macrosomic to the macrosomic pregnancies (actual birth weight </>4,000 g) of the study group no significant difference was demonstrated regarding maternal or infant complications. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of the methods used for detecting macrosomia were 21.6, 98.6 and 43.5%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our ability to predict macrosomia is poor. Our management policy of suspected macrosomic pregnancies raises induction of labor and cesarean delivery rates without improving maternal or fetal outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. mestechk@bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sadeh-Mestechkin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walfisch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shachar
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shoham-Vardi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vardi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography