Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine growth retardation.

Prenatal treatment consisting of daytime bedrest, high protein diet and oral administration of allylestrenol was assessed in a prospective study of 30 patients with IUGR infants whose ultrasonically estimated body weight was less than the 10th percentile. In these pregnancies, the gestational age was confirmed in the first trimester, and the fetal weight was estimated from the BPD and AC measurements in the third trimester (Fig. 1). Following treatment, ultrasonic and biochemical determinations were performed. As results: The estimated fetal weight of 1,362 g at 32.9 g gestational weeks increased to 2,678 g at 39.2 weeks on average. The average weekly weight gain was significantly higher than the standard, and 16 cases (53.3%) were more than 10th percentile at birth (Tab. I, Fig. 2). A significant correlation (r = 0.94) between the estimated fetal weight and the birth weight was found. Following prenatal treatments, maternal plasma and urinary estriol, plasma HPL and progesterone increased significantly (Tab. II).