Customised fetal growth chart: A systematic review

Abstract

Customised fetal growth chart is used to individualise fetal weight for gestational age by adjusting for physiological variables known to affect birth weight and growth. Compared with the standard population-based growth chart, the customised growth chart allows for better distinction between normal and abnormal smallness and reduces the false positive and false negative diagnosis of fetal growth restriction. The charts are currently being introduced into clinical practice in the West Midlands as well as in several units around the country. A Medline and systematic review search from 1980 to 2004 was performed in order to collect information and evidence on the use of customised growth chart and its effect on perinatal outcome.

A survey of policies for the monitoring of fetal growth in Australian and New Zealand hospitals

“…[13][14][15] A systematic review has been undertaken to consider the efficacy of customised fetal growth charts in identifying SGA at birth, concluding that customised growth charts have some capacity to detect adverse perinatal events. 16 A Cochrane review is also currently being finalised on this same topic. 17 More rigorous evidence in the form of randomised controlled trials is needed to determine the efficacy of customised fetal growth charts in preventing adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes.…”

The epidemiology and possible mechanisms of disinfection by-products in drinking water

“…Therefore, a proportion of infants are misclassified, and in epidemiological studies, this may bias any association towards the null. There is evidence to show that the use of customized foetal growth charts, which take into account factors such as maternal height and ethnicity, significantly reduce the proportion of false-positive and false-negative diagnoses of foetal growth restriction, compared with using standard population growth charts (Gelbaya & Nardo 2005;Gardosi 2006), but these are poorly developed at present.…”

Neonatal anthropometric charts: what they are, what they are not

“…[27][28][29][30] From a systematic review of the evidence, it seems that customised charts could be suitable to improve the detection of IUGR. 31 Nevertheless, customising features reflect constitutional factors but are also surrogates for a combination of parameters related to the mother, such as socioeconomic level and nutrition 10 30 : the available data do not permit confident inferences regarding the extent to which they induce physiological or pathological variations in fetal growth. 12 …”