Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of intrauterine growth restriction

Abstract

The antenatal recognition of fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is an important goal for every obstetrician, since significant neonatal complications may be associated with altered fetal growth. Numerous studies have reported a 5%-27% incidence of congenital abnormalities associated with IUGR, as compared with a 0.1%-4% anomaly rate in control groups of normally grown neonates [1, 2]. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in IUGR infants is four to five times that of average-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants (2% vs 0.4%), and intrauterine infection, especially cytomegalovirus, has been reported in 0.3%-3.5% of IUGR infants [1, 2]. In addition, growth-restricted infants have up to an eight-to tenfold increase in stillbirth and neonatal mortality [38]. Other developmental problems, such as necrotizing enterocolitis or intraventricular hemorrhage, also can be related to IUGR. Those infants that survive the immediate perinatal period are still at risk for neonatal hypothermia, hypoglycemia, polycythemia, or other complications, and have increased risk for long-term neurological or developmental complications [1, 4, 9-11]. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.