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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Contingent versus routine third-trimester screening for late fetal growth restriction
S Triunfo1,2, F Crovetto1,2,3, E Scazzocchio4
1Fetal i+D Fetal Medicine Research Center, BCNatal - Barcelona Center for Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Deu), IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Selecting 50% of pregnant individuals for third-trimester ultrasound based on second-trimester risk effectively predicts late fetal growth restriction (FGR). This contingent screening strategy matches the accuracy of routine ultrasound scans for identifying FGR.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Fetal Medicine
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Late fetal growth restriction (FGR) poses risks to newborns.
- Early detection of FGR is crucial for timely intervention.
- Current screening methods may not be optimally efficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess a risk-based, contingent ultrasound screening approach for late FGR.
- To compare this strategy with routine third-trimester ultrasound screening.
- To identify optimal patient selection criteria for targeted screening.
Main Methods:
- Logistic regression analysis incorporating maternal characteristics, fetal biometry, and second-trimester uterine artery (UtA) Doppler to estimate FGR risk.
- Testing of contingent third-trimester ultrasound strategies (10%, 25%, 50% of cohort) against routine scanning.
- Validation of predictive models in a large patient cohort.
Main Results:
- The full model combining second-trimester risk with third-trimester estimated fetal weight achieved an AUC of 0.92.
- Contingent screening of 50% of the population based on second-trimester risk demonstrated statistical equivalence to routine screening (AUC 0.92).
- Lower percentages (10%, 25%) of contingent screening showed reduced predictive accuracy.
Conclusions:
- A 50% contingent third-trimester ultrasound strategy, guided by second-trimester risk assessment, is equivalent to routine screening for predicting late FGR.
- This approach allows for targeted ultrasound resource allocation.
- Risk-based selection can optimize the detection of late FGR.
