Normal Late-Third Trimester Ultrasound Does Not Rule Out Adverse Outcomes, Retrospective Cohort Study Finds

• In a cohort of over 45,000 pregnancies, the absolute risk of stillbirth and composite adverse outcomes was similar among fetuses with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and those classified as normal on a routine late third-trimester scan.

• More than 79% of stillbirths and 81% of composite adverse outcomes occurred in pregnancies with a normal scan, despite a 62.7% detection rate for severe small-for-gestational-age (SGA) at birth.

• The findings highlight that a normal ultrasound does not guarantee a low-risk outcome and that intervention may mitigate risk in diagnosed FGR cases.

Study Snapshot

Design