Gestational Age Assessment with Anthropometric Parameters in Newborns

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Background:

• Accurate determination of gestational age (GA) is crucial for neonatal care and risk assessment.
• Neonatal anthropometry, including head circumference (HC) and crown-heel length (CHL), are readily available measurements.
• Establishing reliable methods for GA estimation is important, especially when clinical dating is uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between gestational age (GA) and neonatal anthropometric parameters: head circumference (HC) and crown-heel length (CHL).
• To develop predictive equations for estimating GA using HC and CHL.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 530 live-born neonates (28-41 weeks gestation) was conducted.
• Anthropometric measurements (HC and CHL) were taken three days after birth.
• Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed to establish relationships and derive predictive equations.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations were observed between GA and HC (r=0.863) and between GA and CHL (r=0.859).
• Linear and multiple regression equations were developed to predict GA from HC and CHL.
• The multiple regression equation demonstrated a satisfactory prediction accuracy with a mean margin of error of 2.9% in a test cohort.

Conclusions:

• Head circumference and crown-heel length serve as simple and effective tools for predicting gestational age, particularly when GA is uncertain.
• These anthropometric measurements can facilitate the early identification of high-risk newborns at the primary care level, potentially reducing the need for advanced imaging.
• The derived regression equations provide a practical method for estimating GA in clinical settings.