[Pathologic antepartal CTG as a prognostic factor for further development of the child].

A comparison was made between 123 infants with pathologic antepartal cardiotocograms (CTG) during late pregnancy and a corresponding control group of matched individuals with regard to obstetric and neonatal data as well as the subsequent neuromotor development of the infants. The group with pathologic antepartal CTGs contained 14 children with subsequent neuromotor abnormalities (one irreversible spastic diplegia, 13 reversible neuromotor disturbances) as compared to six cases of reversible neuromotor disturbances in the control group with normal antepartal CTGs. When compared to the control group, the group with pathologic antepartal CTGs manifested a significantly higher rate of pathologic intrapartum CTGs, as well as a higher number of clearly depressed neonates and of serious and slight cases of acidosis in the umbilical artery. In cases of neuromotor disturbances and pathologic antepartal CTG, complicated course of pregnancy (toxemia of pregnancy), premature births before the 37th week of pregnancy, and children with a low (less than 2,500 g) and very low (less than 1,500 g) initial weight are all to be found more frequently. There is, moreover, a clear connection between the degree of seriousness of antepartal CTG pathology and the subsequent occurrence of neuromotor abnormalities. The clinical consequences of the results described here include the early use of the antepartal cardiotocogram in cases of complications during pregnancy involving hypoxia (such as toxemia of pregnancy, premature labor, suspected intrauterine retardation of growth), as well as an increase in the frequency of CTG examinations, even to the point of continuous external cardiotocographic observation and, if other gestational complications involving hypoxia, especially the threat of premature birth, arise, the generous use of primary cesarean section.