[Correlation between fetal abdominal longitudinal and lateral diameters and the baby's weight on discharge (author's transl)].

By ultrasonic diagnostics, fetal abdominal longitudinal and lateral diameters were measured in 200 pregnant women from 37th to 41st weeks of pregnancy before the start of the birth for the study of the correlation coefficients between the diameters and the baby's weight on discharge. The following results were obtained. 1) Before the determination of the above coefficients, the great lateral diameter, the girths of the head, chest and abdomen and sitting height were measured in newborn infants in from six to 12 hours after birth. The correlation coefficient was 0.66 for the great lateral diameter, 0.71 for the head girth, 0.85 for the chest girth, 0.81 for the abdominal girth and 0.66 for the sitting height. The chest and abdominal coefficients were found to be low. 2) By ultrasonic diagnostics, measurements were taken of the fetal heads, chest, abdomen and head length. In consideration of dimensions and distinctness of ultrasonically delineated images, the chest and head length seemed unsuitable for measurement. On the contrary, the head lateral diameter and abdominal longitudinal and lateral diameters can be measured with relative ease. 3) The fetal head lateral diameter can be measured with ease and high accuracy, but its correlation coefficient becomes 0.62 which is low. Due to soft tissues, difficulty is encountered in measuring the fetal abdominal longitudinal and lateral diameters. However, if check points are properly set, they can be measured with relative ease. Their correlation coefficient to the weight on discharge is very high at 0.87. Clinically for the estimation of the weight on discharge, the method of measuring the fetal longitudinal and lateral diameters is presumably the better method at present, based on the above results.