Comparative Assessment of Ultrasound Placental Findings in Small for Gestational Age and Normal-Weight Fetuses

Backgroundsmall for gestational age (sga) refers to newborns whose birth weight is less than the 10th percentile for gestational age. the aim of this study was to provide a comparative assessment of ultrasound placental findings in sga and normal-weight fetuses in singleton pregnant women. materials and methodsin this cross-sectional study, a total number of 112 singleton pregnant women who were in their second trimester and referred to shariati and imam khomeini hospitals, tehran, iran, during 2016-17 were selected. ultrasound placental findings were assessed in sga and normal-weight fetuses. fetal and maternal indices were also assessed. data were analyzed using spss software (version 16.0).resultsthere was a significant relationship between maternal age and iugr (0.026); while no significant relationship was found between gestational age and iugr (p=0.185). no statistically significant difference existed between male and female fetuses in terms of iugr (p=0.542). the highest artery doppler systolic-diastolic pressure ratio was found in efw<5th percentile which showed a statistically significant difference with other groups (p<0.01). uterine artery resistance indices (uari) in <5th percentile and >90th percentile groups were the highest and lowest respectively with a statistically significant difference with other groups (p<0.01). amniotic fluid index was the lowest in 5-10th percentile and <5th percentile groups (p<0.01). conclusionbased on the results, sga incidence was significantly related to maternal pregnancy age, artery doppler systolic-diastolic pressure ratio, uari, afi, and placental thickness. as such, ultrasound methods can be employed during pregnancy to detect sga incidence.