title: Can discordance in CRL at the first trimester predict birth weight discordance in twin pregnancies?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the correlation between measurements of crown rump length (CRL), nuchal translucency (NT), and birth weight in dichorionic (DC) and monochorionic (MC) twin pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was performed on all twin term pregnancies delivered between 2001 and 2007 at the McGill University Health Center. Data collected included maternal age, CRL and NT measurement, results of glucose challenge test, birth weight and length, gestational age at delivery, and fetal gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population comprised 792 fetuses: 94 MC/DA and 698 DC/DA. Maternal age, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, and birth length were all significantly higher for the DC group. Male fetuses had significantly higher NT and higher birth weight than female fetuses. Discordance in CRL was found to correlate with discordance in birth weight in the entire study population (P<0.0001, R=0.25), in the DC twins (P<0.0001, R=0.275), but not in MC twins (R=0.10, P=0.33). CRL discordance above the 90th percentile (>12%) predicted 14/40 pregnancies with birth weight discordance above the 90th percentile (>24%) [P<0.001, LR=4.1 (2.6-6.2)]. CRL discordance above the 95th percentile (>16%) predicted 5/21 pregnancies with birth weight discordance above the 95th percentile (>30%) [P<0.001, LR=5.5 (2.6-10.4)]. NT discordance was correlated with CRL discordance (R=0.15, P<0.0001), but not with birth weight, regardless of chorionicity or gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In twin pregnancies, CRL discordance in first trimester can predict discordance of more than 25% in neonatal birth weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel. alinabrenner@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weissmann-Brenner
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weisz
authors.forename: Reuven
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Achiron
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D018568:Crown-Rump Length; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D048208:Nuchal Translucency Measurement; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D059285:Pregnancy, Twin; D014427:Twins; D055815:Young Adult