Abstract
Intrapartum ultrasound is largely performed to assess fetal head station, position, and progression and to predict the arrest of labor, while international guidelines do not involve the use of ultrasound in labor to evaluate estimated fetal weight (EFW). Intrapartum EFW has an average diagnostic accuracy of 70% in predicting the real birth weight, and it has been shown to be of limited value for prediction of macrosomia, mainly due to the physiological reduction of amniotic fluid, the increased calcification of bones, and the fetal head descent and engagement in the pelvis.
There is a weak evidence that EFW and HC may have a role in identifying the subset of women with a higher risk of unplanned operative delivery but also increases the risk of cesarean delivery, without improving maternal and fetal outcomes, and therefore EFW cannot be systematically recommended as a universal tool in labor and delivery unit.
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Di Mascio, D., Berghella, V. (2021). Intrapartum Fetal Weight Assessment and Delivery Outcomes. In: Malvasi, A. (eds) Intrapartum Ultrasonography for Labor Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57595-3_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57595-3_38
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