Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Fetal abdominal subcutaneous tissue thickness measured by ultrasound at term is associated with birth weight and mode of delivery
Purpose: To determine if measurement of fetal abdominal subcutaneous tissue thickness (FAS TT) at term can predict birth weight, mode of delivery and perinatal outcome. Methods: A prospective study with 352 normal, singleton pregnancies in the vertex presentation examined with real-time ultrasound at 37-39 weeks’gestation. Results: FASTT was positively correlated with birth weight (Pearson’s, r = 0.784, p < 0.001). Fetuses with low FASTT were more likely to be delivered through normal vaginal delivery (7.8 ± 0.1 mm), while higher FAS TT was correlated with operative vaginal delivery (7.9 ± 0.2 mm) and cesarean section (8.6 ± 0.3 mm) (ANOVA, p = 0.034). In contrast, FASTT was not correlated with intrapartum CTG, labor duration and Apgar scores. Conclusions: In normal pregnancies, FASTT at term is positively associated with birth weight. With increasing FASTT the likelihood of operative vaginal and cesarean delivery increases. FASTT is not associated with perinatal outcome.