Prediction of Low Birth Weight infants with Ultrasound Measurement of Placental Diameter and Placental Thickness at 18 and 36 Weeks Gestational Age "Prospective Study"

Abstract

Background: Birth weight is the first weight of the fetus or newborn obtained after birth preferably measured within the first hour of life before significant postnatal weight loss has occurred. Aim of the Work: The aim of the work is to predict low birth weight infants by ultrasound measuring of placental diameter and thickness at 18 and 36 weeks of gestation. Patients and Methods: Study site: Obstetric outpatient clinic of Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital. Study design: Observational prospective study that estimates the association of each maternal and placental variables with low or normal birth weight. Population: The total sample was consisted of one hundred and thirteen pregnant women at 18, 24 and 36 weeks of gestation. Results: This study showed that placental thickness at 18 wks has high diagnostic validity more than placental diameter at a cut-off ≤ 16.2 mm. It also showed that placental thickness at 36 wks has high diagnostic validity more than placental diameter at a cut-off ≤ 23 mm Conclusion: The placental thickness should be included in routine 2D ultrasound scans to improve the accuracy of ultrasound estimated fetal weight. Recommendations: Training of personals on 2D Ultrasound measurement of placental thickness is mandatory to maximize the accuracy. Key words: Birth weight, postnatal weight, infants, gestation, placental diameter