Amniotic fluid volume as a predictor of fetal distress in intrauterine growth retardation.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of sonographic assessment of amniotic fluid volume (AFV) in predicting intrapartum fetal distress in pregnancies with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) compared with the nonstress test (NST).

METHOD: A prospective study of 242 pregnancies with IUGR who underwent antepartum assessment of AFV and NST with intrapartum continuous FHR monitoring was conducted and analyzed.

RESULT: AFV was a reliable predictor of intrapartum fetal distress with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 84.0%, 83.41%, 36.84% and 97.84%, respectively. The efficacy of AFV was comparable with that of the NST.

CONCLUSION

Sonographic assessment of AFV is an effective predictor of intrapartum fetal distress in pregnancies with IUGR.