title: Perinatal outcomes of pregnancies with borderline versus normal amniotic fluid index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amniotic fluid is an indicator of placental function on the fetal development. The amniotic fluid index is the most commonly used method of measuring amniotic fluid.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the pregnancy outcomes of a borderline versus normal AFI.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was carried out on a total of 235 pregnant women referred to Alzahra Medical Center between 2009-2011. Women with a singleton pregnancy in third trimester were enrolled into this study; of these subjects, 141 cases were in normal AFI group and 94 cases in borderline AFI group. Adequate information was obtained from the patients' medical record and the groups were compared on maternal and fetal complications. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean maternal age in borderline AFI group was 25.96±5.92 years and in normal AFI group was 27.88±6.5 years (p=0.023). Maternal outcomes such as preterm delivery and labor induction in women with borderline AFI were considerably higher than those in normal group (p=0.01 and p=0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes and neonatal respiratory distress. The borderline AFI group had higher rate of neonatal complications such as Apgar score of less than 7 (p=0.004), IUGR (0.0001), LBW (0.001), and crucial need to NICU (0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings indicated that there are statistical differences between adverse outcomes in borderline AFI group and normal group. This article extracted from M.D. thesis. (Samira Naimian).
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asgharnia
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faraji
authors.affiliation: Vice-chancellorship for Research, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salamat
authors.affiliation: Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ashrafkhani
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyedeh Fatemeh
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Dalil Heirati
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naimian
keywords: Amniotic fluid index; Borderline; Pregnancy complication.; Pregnancy outcome