Ultrasound can read weight of fetuses with FGR in obese moms

(HealthDay)—Sonographic (US) examination can accurately estimate fetal weight, even in overweight and obese women with singleton pregnancies affected by fetal growth restriction (FGR), according to research published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound.

Fiona Cody, from Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, and colleagues describe the effect of maternal obesity on the accuracy of US in determining the estimated fetal weight (EFW) and perinatal outcome of pregnancies affected by FGR. A total of 1,116 women with nonanomalous singleton pregnancies with an EFW in less than the 10th centile were recruited. The authors determined the accuracy of EFW for women who delivered within two weeks of their latest US scan.

Data were included for 1,074 women with complete records, of whom, 64 percent were normal weight, 24 percent were overweight, and 9 and 3 percent were obese class 1 and 2, respectively. The researchers found that for women in all body mass index (BMI) categories, the EFW determined prior to delivery was within 6 percent of the actual birth weight. Compared to women with a normal BMI, overweight and obese women delivered more often by cesarean section and at earlier gestational ages, resulting in lower birth weights and significantly increased perinatal morbidity and mortality rates.

"US examination is reliable for assessing the weight of fetuses with FGR in overweight women," the authors write.

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