Assessment of intrauterine growth retardation by diagnostic ultrasound

In the first 1,000 cases referred to the Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 200 patients with singleton pregnancies were examined by this modality for possible intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Inclusion in this study was based on one or more of the following criteria: past history of IUGR, present clinical impression of IUGR, present high risk of developing IUGR, and unsuspected IUGR evidenced by diagnostic ultrasound. In 34 per cent of cases, serial examinations indicated that the date of confinement had to be recalculated. Ultrasound was in agreement with delivery results in 82 per cent of cases. Sixteen per cent of cases in this study resulted in growth-retarded infants. Ultrasound correctly diagnosed 70 per cent of these.