Screening for fetal growth disorders by clinical exam in the era of obesity

Objective: To evaluate the performance of clinical estimation of fetal weight as a screening test for fetal growth disorders and then to estimate the effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on its screening efficiency. Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients referred for third trimester ultrasound for the indication of ‘size unequal to dates’. Patients with medical co-morbidities that may alter their a priori risk for fetal growth disorders were excluded. The incidence of fetal growth disorders as well as amniotic fluid disturbances was determined for each group and then compared across maternal BMI categories of dates and 1543 for the indication of size90th percentile and 13.5 and 96.7% for predicting BW