FUNDAL HEIGHT AND ABDOMINAL GIRTH MEASUREMENTS DURING PREGNANCY.
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 268
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The intra- and interexaminer reliability of three fundal height (McDonald, Belizan, and Caliper) and two abdominal girth (Navel and Hip) measurement techniques was studied in a nonprobability sample of 60 pregnant women. The five measurements were obtained twice by two of four blinded examiners. The mean absolute differences between individual examiner's first and second measurements varied from 0.68 to 1.91 cm, with the Caliper measurement demonstrating the smallest mean absolute differences (0.68 to 1.39 cm). The mean absolute differences between pairs of examiners' measurements varied from 0.83 to 3.75 cm, with the Navel measurements demonstrating the smallest mean absolute differences (0.83 to 1.51 cm).

The associations between the five measurements and the variables of gestational weeks and fetal size were studied in a nonprobability sample of 56 pregnant women. Measurements were obtained by the same examiner at each of the subject's prenatal visits. Parabolic regression models constructed from the McDonald, Belizan, Caliper, Navel, and Hip measurements accounted for 91%, 90%, 88%, 40%, and 27% of the variance in gestational weeks, respectively. The variability of measurements at each gestational week was large, with maximal ranges of 12, 11.8, 11.3, 34.8, and 38.8 cm for the McDonald, Belizan, Caliper, Navel, and Hip measurements, respectively. The correlations between infant birthweight and the McDonald, Belizan, Caliper, Navel, and Hip measurements were .72, .69, .55, .35, and .26, respectively. The fundal height measurements of small-for-gestational-age fetuses were consistently smaller than those of appropriate-for-gestational-age fetuses after 24 weeks and the differences were statistically significant between 33 and 39 weeks. The abdominal girth measurements of small-for-gestational-age fetuses tended to be smaller than those of appropriate-for-gestational-age fetuses, but the differences were not statistically significant. These findings indicate that, compared to abdominal girth measurements, fundal height measurements are more valid predictors of the gestational weeks and fetal size. To assure maximal reliability, the measurements should be obtained with the Caliper technique by the same clinician throughout pregnancy.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: B, page: 0132.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1985.

School code: 0806.