[Parturient studies of the cardiotocogram score and transcutaneous oxygen pressure in hypotrophic and eutrophic...

Semiquantitative and quantitative principles of cardiotocogram evaluation are necessary for the evaluation of subacute and chronic oxygen deficiency in fetuses. By means of tcPO2 measurement it is possible to check these evaluation principles for their relation with fetal oxygen pressure. From 59 tcPO2 cardiotocograms, a total of 99 30-minute-intervals were analysed. 27% of the fetuses showed growth retardation (below the tenth weight percentile according to Kyank). Fetal oxygen pressure was statistically significantly (alpha less than 0.05) correlated with changes in the CTG score according to Hammacher. In the group with hypoxemic oxygen pressure (below 11 mmHg/1.47 kPa) the correlation was particularly high, and the CTG score of 5 points was significantly poorer than the 3 points in the nonhypoxemic control group. Our investigations essentially confirm the grading of the CTG score by Hammacher. Hypotrophic fetuses showed a significantly poorer CTG score, and their oxygen pressure of 12.9 mmHg (1.7 kPa) was significantly below that of the control group (15.4 mmHg/2.1 kPa).