Control of fetal size with multiple ultrasonic measurements.

I) Out of eight different bone and soft-tissue parameters, the abdominal circumference correlates best with the birth weight: r = 0.89. Only the combination of the abdominal and the thorax circumference has a better value: r = 0.91. However, all our parameters are linear. The employment of area or volume parameters would probably still improve fetal weight estimation. II) For diagnosing intrauterine growth retardation measurement of thigh diameter seems to be of some value. The quotients of soft-tissue parameters/bone parameters are partly independent of gestational age. Therefore they may support the diagnosis of small-for-date babies where gestational age is uncertain. Prospective studies with serial measurements should be carried out to verify the feasibility and practical utility of our parameters.