Introduction
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) refers that the fetus has not reached its
growth potential due to the influence of certain factors (such as
placenta, chromosomes, and infection etc.).
It
is the leading cause of intrauterine fetal death, neonatal death, and
short-term and long-term complications worldwide (1; 2;
3). In clinical practice, it is difficult to evaluate the growth
potential of a fetus, because it is not pragmatic to record the
percentile of fetal biometrics and the estimated fetal weight (EFW) at
different gestational weeks(4). In addition, the
ability to predict the occurrence of adverse complications in a fetus
due to FGR is relatively limited (5).
Therefore,
different
countries and associations have developed different guidelines to screen
for fetuses with suspected FGR. The American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology (ACOG) defines FGR as an EFW less than the 10th
percentile.(6). The Society of Maternal and Fetal
Medicine (SMFM)(7) and the Royal College of Obstetrics
and Gynecology (ROCG)(8) include abdominal
circumference (AC) in the assessment. According to the Delphi consensus
criteria, a consensus on the definition of FGR was established in
cooperation with global experts.(9) The International
Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) cited this
definition to screen FGR.(10). The discuss on which
definition is more practical has been a hot point in recent
years(11; 12; 13; 14).
The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of different FGR
definitions to predict small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and adverse
neonatal outcomes (ANO), so as to figure out a more suitable definition
for Chinese population.