Prenatal detection of a high-risk group for intrauterine growth restriction based on sonographic fetal biometry

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the significance of sonogra phic fetal biometry in predicting low birth weight. Method: Five hundred an d sixty-eight single-term pregnancies were analyzed. They were stratified i nto seven subgroups by birth weight deviation (BWD). Among the 568 pregnanc ies, 115 were revealed to be small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (birth weight less than mean -1.5 S.D.). When IUGR was suspected by routine sonographic f etal biometry, 'IUGR work-up' was carried out. The diagnostic performance o f our screening method for the detection of SGA pregnancies in the general population was calculated. Result: The sensitivity, specificity, positive p redictive value, negative predictive value and odds ratio of our screening method for the detection of SGA pregnancies in the general population were 73.0, 96.6, 83.2, 98.0% and 131.0, respectively. Conclusion: These data sug gest that sonographic biometry is useful for the prenatal detection of high -risk cases of fetal growth restriction. (C) 2000 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.