title: [How many ultrasound examinations for low-risk pregnancies monitoring?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the average number of ultrasounds per low-risk pregnancy and estimate the proportion of ultrasound scans without morphological examination of the fetus (non-morphological ultrasounds).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study conducted among patients who delivered at the University Hospital of Tours (France) between January 2012 and February 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with a singleton pregnancy who delivered after 37weeks' gestation an eutrophic child.
  
  
  METHODS
  Distinction was made between morphological and non-morphological ultrasound examinations. The type of non-morphological ultrasound examination was analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among the 300 patients of the study, the average number of scans per patient was five (SD=1.9), which is higher than the three recommended ultrasounds for these low-risk pregnancies. In this study, 77% of patients were receiving more than three ultrasounds. Moreover, 28.1% of all ultrasound examinations were non-morphological examinations. Among them, 42.2% of examinations were performed in the third trimester of pregnancy. Among these non-morphological ultrasounds performed in the third trimester, there were 51.9% of fetal biometric measurements and cervical length measurements in 18.5% of cases. We believe that resorting to non-morphological ultrasounds during low-risk pregnancies is not censurable in itself and should even be promoted. Nevertheless, we should improve the relevance of all these examinations.
authors.affiliation: Service de gynécologie-obstétrique et médecine fœtale, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France; UMR Inserm U 930, université François-Rabelais, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France. Electronic address: emmanuel.simon@univ-tours.fr.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: École régionale de sages-femmes, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Perruche
authors.affiliation: Service de gynécologie-obstétrique et médecine fœtale, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France; UMR Inserm U 930, université François-Rabelais, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Arthuis
authors.affiliation: École régionale de sages-femmes, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Denais
authors.affiliation: Service de gynécologie-obstétrique et médecine fœtale, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France; UMR Inserm U 930, université François-Rabelais, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perrotin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dépistage; Grossesse à bas risque; Low-risk pregnancy; Non-morphological ultrasound; Screening; Échographie non morphologique