Unstressed antepartum cardiotocography in the management of pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation.

A study of antenatal cardiotocographs (CTG) in 250 patients with fetal growth retardation showed that nonreactive tracings were associated with a significant increase in operative deliveries for fetal distress in labour, a high perinatal mortality rate, and fetal anomalies, and a low Apgar score of the infant, both at one and five minutes after delivery. A "ten-point" scoring system was used to evaluate the CTG tracing. A score of 6 or less was associated with a significantly higher perinatal morbidity and mortality rate compared with those who had a score of 7 or more (p less than 0.01).