Estimation of fetal weight by clinical methods and ultrasonography and correlating its accuracy with actual birth weight in term pregnancies

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to estimate fetal weight by clinical methods and 
ultrasound and to compare it with actual birth weight. Materials: This was a 
prospective study conducted over a period of 6 months in a tertiary care centre. All 
term singleton pregnancies with cephalic presentation, intact membranes and with 
ultrasound sonography test (USG) examination done within a week of delivery were 
included in the study. Pregnancies with intrauterine fetal demise, multiple gestations, 
poly and oligohydramnios, pelvic or abdominal masses, and current maternal weight 
more than 80 kg were excluded from the study. Fetal weight was assessed by Insler’s 
formula, Johnson’s formula and by Hadlock’s formula using ultrasonographic 
measurements of biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, and femur length. The 
estimated fetal weights (EFW) obtained by all the three formulae were compared with 
the ABW and each other using paired t-test and Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficient. P 
≤ 0.05 was considered significant.