A clinical study of intrauterine growth restriction (iugr) pregnancies

Introduction: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a condition in which the fetus fails to achieve its inherent growth potential. It is the second most common cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality following prematurity
Aims & Objectives: To study the clinical profile of IUGR pregnancies
Material & Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/Department of Radiology, Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital Patiala from 2010-2012. The cases were divided into two groups.
Group I - 100 cases of IUGR
Group II - 50 cases of normal pregnancy taken as controls.
A detailed history including age, parity, gestation age, antenatal checkups during pregnancy was taken followed by relevant investigations. Mode of delivery and fetal outcome were seen in all study subjects. The data collected was compiled, analyzed and compared in two groups to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Observations: The average age of study subjects was 25.74 years. In the present study 77% of subjects in Group I belonged to rural background and 50% of them were unbooked. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were associated with IUGR in 47% cases. In 21% of study subjects, AFI was <5. Preterm delivery occurred in 39% of cases in study group with caesarean section rate of 37%. In Group I, all babies were born with body weight ˂2500 gms. Still birth rate in study group was 5%. In study group 71% of babies needed nursery admission with average stay of 14.2 days
Conclusion: Improvement in antenatal care will go a long way to decrease the morbidity and mortality in these intrauterine growth restricted pregnancies.