182 The Use of Second Trimester Fetal Growth Curves in Predicting Intrauterine Growth Retardation in Cases of Unexplainec Maternal Serum Alpha Fetoprotein Elevations

Originally all low birthweight infants were considered to be premature. When prematurity was redefined in terms of gestational age (SGA) and not preterm. With the large scale collection of obstetric data the distributions of birthweight at different gestational ages were described and from these, infants who were SGA could be defined. SGA became synonymous with terms such as growth retardation, but it soon became appearent that the two were not necessarily interchangeable. Scott and Usher found that it was the degree of soft tissue wasting rather than birthweight that related to poor perinatal outcome. Miller and Hassanein stated that: “birthweight by itself is not a valid measure of fetal growth impairment”. They used Rorher’s Ponderal Index (weight (g) × 100/length (cm)) to diagnose the malnourished or excessively wasted infants with reduced soft tissue mass. Most studies of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) still use low birthweight for gestational age centile as their only definition of IUGR or only study infants who have a low birthweight. Altman and Hytten expressed disquiet about this definition and stated: “There is now an urgent need to establish true measures of fetal growth from which deviations indicating genuine growth retardation can be derived” and that “it is particularly important that some reliable measures of outcome should be established”. In large series of term deliveries published recently, two groups of IUGR infants with different growth patterens have been identified. These studies confirm that birthweight alone is inadequate to define the different types of IUGR. They established that low Ponderal Index (PI) is a measure of IUGR associated with an increased incidence of perinatal problems and that it is time to re-evaluate IUGR in terms of the different types of aberrant fetal growth.

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Very Low Second-Trimester Maternal Serum Alpha-fetoprotein

Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1097/00006250-200204000-00003 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 99 (4) ◽

pp. 531-536 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmet A. Baschat ◽

Chris R. Harman ◽

Gehan Farid ◽

Bernard N. Chodirker ◽

Jane A. Evans

Keyword(s):

Maternal Serum ◽

Alpha Fetoprotein ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Serum Alpha Fetoprotein

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Differential Effects of Maternal Heroin and Methadone Use on Birthweight

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.58.5.681 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 58 (5) ◽

pp. 681-685

Author(s):

Stephen R. Kandall ◽

Susan Albin ◽

Joyce Lowinson ◽

Beatrice Berle ◽

Arthur I. Eidelman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fetal Growth ◽

Growth Retardation ◽

Intrauterine Growth Retardation ◽

Methadone Maintenance ◽

First Trimester ◽

Control Group ◽

Fetal Growth Retardation ◽

Intrauterine Growth ◽

Methadone Dosage ◽

History Of

An analysis of birthweights of 337 neonates in relation to history of maternal narcotic usage was undertaken Mean birthweight of infants born to mothers abusing heroin during the pregnancy was 2,490 gm, an effect primarily of intrauterine growth retardation. Low mean birthweight (2,615 gm) was also seen in infants born to mothers who had abused heroin only prior to this pregnancy, and mothers who had used both heroin and methadone during the pregnancy (2,535 gm). Infants born to mothers on methadone maintenance during the pregnancy had significantly higher mean birthweights (2,961 gm), but lower than the control group (3,176 gm). A highly significant relationship was observed between maternal methadone dosage in the first trimester and birthweight, i.e., the higher the dosage, the larger the infant. Heroin causes fetal growth retardation, an effect which may persist beyond the period of addiction. Methadone may promote fetal growth in a dose-related fashion after maternal use of heroin.

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The Prognostic Significance of Antenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Growth Retardation

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462300013088 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 8 (S1) ◽

pp. 176-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ingemar Leijon

Keyword(s):

Fetal Growth ◽

Growth Retardation ◽

Intrauterine Growth Retardation ◽

Antenatal Diagnosis ◽

Perinatal Asphyxia ◽

Prognostic Significance ◽

Optimal Time ◽

Fetal Growth Retardation ◽

Intrauterine Growth ◽

The Individual

AbstractIntrauterine growth retardation is associated with high risk of perinatal asphyxia. The neonatal mortality rate of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants (birthweight ≤ 2 SD) in Sweden decreased from 5.6% in 1973 to 2.0% in 1987. During the same period, the number SGA infants with postnatal asphyxia (5 min Apgar score <7) decreased from 10% to 5%. Based on antenatal diagnosis of fetal growth retardation, an optimal time of delivery reduces the risk of major neurological and developmental sequelae of the individual infant.

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HUMAN FETAL GROWTH RETARDATION: I. CLINICAL FEATURES OF SAMPLE WITH INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.50.4.547 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 547-558

Author(s):

J. Urrusti ◽

P. Yoshida ◽

L. Velasco ◽

S. Frenk ◽

A. Rosado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Growth Retardation ◽

Intrauterine Growth Retardation ◽

Fetal Growth Retardation ◽

Neonatal Deaths ◽

Intrauterine Growth ◽

Normal Term

Intrauterine growth was assessed in a series of 128 cases. Thirty-six infants were small for gestational age, and showed the usual signs of intrauterine growth retardation (IUM). The head circumference of these infants was small, with reference to normal term babies (FT) and comparable to premature infants, appropriately sized for a gestational age (ACA) five weeks less than that of the IUM's. There were 12 neonatal deaths, three among IUM infants within 24 hours and nine in the low birth weight AGA group within 72 hours. The mothers of these three groups of infants were similar with respect to age, weight, height, nutritional patterns, and prior pregnancy histories.

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