The value of diagnostic ultrasound as a screening test for intrauterine growth retardation: comparison of nine parameters.

In an attempt to devise a screening method for the detection of unsuspected IUGR, a battery of ultrasonic measurements of the fetus were performed in a series of 255 patients at approximately 32, 34, and 36 weeks. The results obtained from the 16 growth-retarded and the 239 normally grown babies were evaluated. While no single measurement was found to discriminate the two groups, a simple combination of crown-rump length times area of trunk allowed us to identify an at-risk group comprising 11 per cent of the population. The false positive and false negative results were acceptable at levels of 10 and 6 per cent, approximately. It is considered that these results would justify a larger and prospectively randomized controlled trial to assess the benefits and drawbacks of applying these measurements in a screening schedule.