title: Measurement of abdominal circumference in preterm infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body weight, length and head and thoracic circumference are routinely measured in obstetric and neonatal departments. Reference values for these measurements have been established for the neonatal population. Neonatal abdominal circumference is not routinely measured, and no reference values for this measurement have been determined. To evaluate the increase in abdominal circumference in newborns with abdominal pathology such as necrotizing enterocolitis, information about normal abdominal circumference in healthy neonates shortly after birth is needed. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between abdominal circumference and birth weight by measuring the abdominal circumference of premature neonates soon after birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Abdominal circumference was measured within 30 min of birth in 220 neonates born between 23 and 35 weeks' gestation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in abdominal circumference between boys and girls in the study population. A specific formula for estimating normal abdominal circumference was developed: y = 0.0053x + 14.83 (y = abdominal circumference in cm; x = body weight in g; 0.0053 = regression coefficient; 14.83 = regression constant).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A positive linear correlation between abdominal circumference and birth weight was found in infants at birth. The correlation can be summarized as a linear regression equation. Further studies are needed to investigate possible factors associated with abdominal circumference in fed versus unfed preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia. imeldere.meldere@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ilze
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meldere
authors.affiliation: Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia. valdisurtans@live.com.
authors.forename: Valdis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Urtans
authors.affiliation: Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia. aigars.petersons@rsu.lv.|Department of Paediatric Surgery, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. aigars.petersons@rsu.lv.
authors.forename: Aigars
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petersons
authors.affiliation: Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia. zane.abola@rsu.lv.|Department of Paediatric Surgery, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. zane.abola@rsu.lv.
authors.forename: Zane
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Abola
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies