Cross Sectional Area of Umbilical Cord Versus Hadlock's Formula in Prediction of Neonatal Birth Weight

Comparison of the Efficacy Between Ultrasound Measurement of Cross Sectional Area of the Umbilical Cord and Hadlock's Formula in Prediction of Neonatal Birth Weight at Term Gestation:Cross Sectional Study

Ultrasound measurement of cross sectional area of umbilical cord might offer advantage over Hadlock's formula for accurate estimation of actual birth weight at term gestation leading to prevention of large number of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Umbilical cord is a vital structure of maternal-fetal life that can be used to evaluate pregnancy outcomes. In the past, sonographic investigations of the umbilical cord were limited to identification of the number of vessels and Doppler evaluation of the blood flow. Various formulas have developed to calculate Estimated Fetal Weight (EFW) using fetal biometry. While it is being accurate to a degree, they are associated with error especially with extreme birth weight. In this study using the ultrasound to look for a relation between the umbilical cord cross sectional area and estimated birth weight, as it's easy to use and readily available, comparing the estimated birth weight obtained by this method with that of Hadlock's formula measures at term gestation. Trying to prove that the umbilical cord area formula might gave advocacy for future usage for birth weight prediction.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women with:

  • Age: 18-35 years.
  • Singleton living fetus.
  • Term gestation (37wks_ 41wks+6days). (Spong , 2013).
  • Admitted at labor room or prepared for caesarean section

Exclusion Criteria:

• o Intrauterine Dead fetus (IUFD).

  • Structurally malformed fetus or umbilical cord (single umbilical artery; SUA).
  • Multiple pregnancies.
  • Oligohydraminos (AFI < 5cm or DVP <2 cm) or polyhydraminos (AFI > 25 cm or DVP > 8 cm) (Morteza et al., 2018).
  • Uterine fibroid.
  • Abnormal Doppler flowmetry of umbilical artery.
  • Maternal diseases (Diabetes mellitus, Hypertensive disorders, renal diseases, Ischemic heart diseases), history of drug intake (Antihypertensive, antiepileptic, oral hypoglycemic drugs).