Growth parameters and gestational age help identify the risk of neonatal pathology. Growth is influenced by genetic and nutritional factors as well as intrauterine conditions. Growth parameters assessed at birth help predict subsequent growth and development and risk of disease. The parameters are length, weight, and head circumference.
Using weight plotted by gestational age, each infant is classified at birth as (1, 2)
Small for gestational age: < 10th percentile
Appropriate for gestational age: 10th to 90th percentile
Large for gestational age: > 90th percentile
The Fenton growth charts, most commonly used in the United States, use all 3 parameters and provide a more precise assessment of growth by gestational age. However, use of single growth references, such as the Fenton growth charts, is problematic because studies show an abundance of fetal growth variability among infants of different ethnicities and countries of origin (1, 2).
Fenton Growth Chart for Preterm Boys
Fenton T, Kim J: A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infants. BMC Pediatrics 13:59, 2013. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-13-59; used with permission. Available at www.biomedcentral.com. |
Fenton Growth Chart for Preterm Girls
Fenton T, Kim J: A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infants. BMC Pediatrics 13:59, 2013. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-13-59; used with permission. Available at www.biomedcentral.com. |
References
1. Grantz KL, Hediger ML, Liu D, Buck Louis GM: Fetal growth standards: The NICHD fetal growth study approach in context with INTERGROWTH-21st and the World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 218(2S):S641-S655.e28, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.11.593
2. Estañ-Capell J, Alarcón-Torres B, Miró-Pedro M, Martínez-Costa C: Differences When Classifying Small for Gestational Age Preterm Infants According to the Growth Chart Applied. Am J Perinatol, 2023. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1761297
