The role of ultrasound in the prediction of birth weight discordance in twin pregnancies: are we there yet?
-
Ana Raquel Neves
,
Filipa Nunes
Abstract
Objective:
To analyze the accuracy of ultrasound prediction of birth weight discordance (BWD) and the influence of chorionicity and fetal growth restriction (FGR) on ultrasound performance.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of 176 twin pregnancies at a Portuguese tertiary center, between 2008 and 2014. Last ultrasound biometry was recorded. Cases with delivery before 24 weeks, fetal malformations, interval between last ultrasound and deliver >3 weeks, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and monoamniotic pregnancies were excluded. The accuracy of prediction of BWD was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC).
Results:
BWD ≥20% was present in 21.6% of twin pregnancies. EBW had the best predictive performance for BWD (AUC 0.838, 95%CI 0.760–0.916), with a negative predictive value of 86.9% and a positive predictive value of 51.3%. Chorionicity did not influence ultrasound performance. None of the biometric variables analyzed was predictive of BWD in pregnancies without FGR.
Conclusion:
The accuracy of ultrasound in the prediction of BWD is limited, particularly in pregnancies without fetal growth restriction. Clinical decisions should not rely on BWD alone.
Author’s statement
Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Material and methods: Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The research related to human subject use has complied with all the relevant national regulations, and institutional policies, and is in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ institutional review board or equivalent committee.
Funding sources: There were no funding sources for this study.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
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©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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- Letter to the Editor
- Clarification of the methods and statistics in the study “Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy”
- Clarification of the methods and statistics in the study “Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy”
- Reply to: Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Review article
- Fetal cardiac tumors: clinical features, management and prognosis
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- Chronic inflammatory lesions of the placenta are associated with an up-regulation of amniotic fluid CXCR3: A marker of allograft rejection
- Gaps in obstetric care processes – we can only improve what is being measured
- Tokophobia (fear of childbirth): prevalence and risk factors
- Adjuvant administration of 17-α-hydroxy-progesterone caproate in women with three or more second trimester pregnancy losses undergoing cervical cerclage is no more effective than cerclage alone
- The role of ultrasound in the prediction of birth weight discordance in twin pregnancies: are we there yet?
- NLRP genes and their role in preeclampsia and multi-locus imprinting disorders
- Original articles – Fetus
- Diagnostic value of perinatal autopsies: analysis of 486 cases
- Feto-maternal osmotic balance at term. A prospective observational study
- Original articles – Newborn
- Oxygen saturation trends in normal healthy term newborns: normal vaginal delivery vs. elective cesarean section
- Causes of death among full term stillbirths and early neonatal deaths in the Region of Southern Denmark
- Critical congenital heart disease screening with a pulse oximetry in neonates
- DHA reduces oxidative stress following hypoxia-ischemia in newborn piglets: a study of lipid peroxidation products in urine and plasma
- A non-invasive method to rule out transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN): fetal pulmonary artery acceleration to ejection time ratio
- Letter to the Editor
- Clarification of the methods and statistics in the study “Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy”
- Clarification of the methods and statistics in the study “Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy”
- Reply to: Planned home birth and the association with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
- Response to the Letter to the Editor, “Risk factors of uterine rupture with a special interest to uterine fundal pressure: methodological issues”
- Re: Utility of routine urine CMV PCR and total serum IgM testing of small for gestational age infants: a single center review
