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Effect of fetal movement on the amniotic fluid index in diamniotic twin gestations
Author(s) -
Wax Joseph R.,
Henderson Ellen
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0096(199706)25:5<255::aid-jcu6>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - amniotic fluid index , medicine , amniotic fluid , gestation , obstetrics , fetus , gestational age , fetal movement , pregnancy , gynecology , genetics , biology
Fetal movement changes the size and location of amniotic fluid pockets during measurement of the amniotic fluid index. In singleton gestations, the effect of redistributing the fixed intrauterine fluid volume on the amniotic fluid index is clinically insignificant. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the index in twin pregnancies is unaffected by fetal movement. A single examiner prospectively determined the amniotic fluid index before and after three discrete episodes of movement by both fetuses of 82 diamniotic twin pregnancies referred for obstetric sonograms between 20 and 38 weeks' menstrual age. A reliable blinded examiner provided a second post‐movement measurement as a control. Data were analyzed by the paired t‐test. The mean change in the amniotic fluid index after fetal movement was 2.1 ± 0.2 cm and 3.7 ± 0.3 cm for post‐movement determinations by the same and blinded examiners, respectively ( p < .001). Interobserver variation was 3.5 cm. Intraobserver variation was 1.8 cm for the first examiner and 2.2 cm for the second examiner. Therefore, interobserved and intraobserver variation can account for the observed change in the amniotic fluid index following movement of both diamniotic twins. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 25:255–257, 1997