Gestational age assessment. II. Prediction from combined clinical observations
Andersen, H.F.; Johnson, T.R.; Flora, J.D.; Barclay, M.L.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 140(7): 770-774
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9378 PMID: 7258258 Document Number: 181204
Accurate assessment of the estimated date of confinement is a cornerstone of obstetric care. The time of occurrence of various historical and clinical estimators of gestational age in relation to the date of delivery was previously examined. The possibility of combining multiple clinical estimators to improve the prediction of delivery date was examined. Formulas for predicting delivery date from multiple clinical estimators were developed in a group of 418 patients who were delivered of infants weighing .gtoreq. 3000 g after spontaneous onset of labor. These formulas were tested in a separated group of 107 patients who fulfilled similar criteria. In patients with a known last menstrual period, additional clinical information did not improve the prediction of delivery date; if the last menstrual period was uncertain or unknown, averaging the predicted delivery dates by several clinical examinations provided a prediction of delivery date as precise as if the last menstrual period were known.