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Head circumference/abdominal circumference ratio, ponderal index and fetal malnutrition. Should head circumference/abdominal circumference ratio be abandoned?
Author(s) -
COLLEY N. V.,
TREMBLE J. M.,
HENSON G. L.,
COLE T. J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1991.tb10363.x
Subject(s) - wasting , anthropometry , circumference , malnutrition , medicine , head circumference , fetus , obstetrics , birth weight , pregnancy , biology , mathematics , geometry , genetics
Summary. Head circumference/abdominal circumference (HC/AC) ratios of the fetus are accepted as a means of distinguishing different patterns of growth retardation with a high ratio implying malnutrition of the fetus. Ponderal index (birthweight/length 3 ) is used by paediatricians as a measure of neonatal wasting and would therefore be expected to correlate with HC/AC ratios at delivery. Anthropometric data on 999 newborn infants have been collected and analyzed by multiple regression. The results show a poor correlation between ponderal index and HC/AC ratio, worse than that between ponderal index and AC alone. The use of HC/AC ratios antenatally to identify subgroups of intrauterine malnutrition should be abandoned. The prediction of intrauterine malnutrition by weight/length ratios should be investigated further.