Abstract:
Background: Fetal foot length (FFL) is a biometric parameter that has been
established for estimating the gestational age (GA). Accurate knowledge of
fetal weight (FW) and GA assist Clinicians in the evaluation of fetal growth
and predict neonatal outcomes. Aims: This study aims to predict the estimated
FW and GA using the FFL in 26–40 weeks’ gestation on antenatal ultrasound.
Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study, we investigated the fetal
measurements of FFL, femoral length (FL), and estimated FW in 100 pregnant
women at 26–16 weeks’ gestation who attended routine antenatal care. The fetal
measurements were examined about the foot length. Results: The foot length
was not a significance parameter to determine fetal gender (P = 0.6). There was
no correlation of FFL with maternal socioeconomic status, parity, fetal gender,
and maternal body mass index, P = 0.26, 0.84, 0.67, and 0.26, respectively. The
FFL, FL, and estimated FW were strongly and linearly correlated with GA. The
combination of FL, foot length, and estimated FW provide an accurate estimation
of GA with minimum (standard error [SE] = 1.75). The combination of FL and
foot length provide an accurate prediction of FW with SE of 320.52. The foot
length and FL revealed similar values of SEs in estimated FW (R2 = 0.85) for
each. Conclusions: The FFL is linearly correlated with GA, FW, and FL. It is an
accurate parameter to assess the GA and reliable for predicting the estimated FW.
This is useful for assessing fetal growth and skeletal dysplasia.
