Building consensus and standards in fetal growth restriction studies

Area of Science:

• Perinatology
• Obstetrics
• Fetal Medicine

Background:

• Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a condition where a fetus does not reach its growth potential.
• Inconsistent terminology, definitions, monitoring, and management of FGR exist in clinical practice and literature.
• This lack of standardization hinders the interpretation and comparison of research studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the lack of uniformity in fetal growth restriction (FGR) studies and management.
• To discuss various consensus methods and recent procedures for standardizing FGR.
• To highlight the importance of consensus in the absence of a definitive gold standard.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and clinical practices regarding FGR.
• Discussion of consensus procedures as a method for standardization.
• Analysis of current consensus agreements and their limitations.

Main Results:

• Identified significant inconsistencies in FGR terminology, definition, monitoring, and management.
• Highlighted the critical need for standardization in FGR research and clinical practice.
• Emphasized that consensus procedures offer a practical approach to standardization.

Conclusions:

• Standardization is essential for advancing the understanding and management of FGR.
• Consensus procedures provide a framework for agreement in the absence of robust empirical evidence.
• Consensus agreements require regular updates based on emerging evidence to remain relevant.