A retrospective cross-sectional study on the prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes and its associated factors in fetuses with late-onset fetal growth restriction

Late-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) has a possibility of urgent fetal deterioration before labor, which contributes to late-pregnancy mortality, intrapartum fetal distress, and neonatal acidosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes (APO) and identify factors associated with APO in fetuses with late-onset FGR. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of singleton pregnancies diagnosed with late-onset FGR, enrolled in Tu Du Hospital from 4/2022 to 12/2022. Late-onset FGR was defined according to the Delphi consensus. Databases of Doppler parameters and APO were recorded. Of 101 pregnancies in the study, APO occurred in 21 cases (20.8%). The need for admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, the mean overall length of hospital stay, neonatal resuscitation requiring mechanical ventilation, neonatal jaundice requiring phototherapy, and neonatal hypoglycemia were recorded, respectively, in 21 (20.8%), 6.67 days, 11 (10.9%), and 2 (2%) cases, while no case of perinatal death and 5-min Apgar score<7 was reported in the study. In the prediction of APO, there was a significant contribution from cerebroplacental ratio (CPR)<5 percentile (adjusted OR (aOR)=4.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–21.11, p=0.04), EFW<3 percentile (aOR=3.22, 95% CI 1.01–10.27, p=0.049) and gestational age at delivery (aOR=0.35, 95% CI 0.18–0.65, p=0.001). In our research, the prevalence of APO is 20.8%. CPR<5 percentile, severe late-onset FGR, and gestational age at delivery are independently statistically associated with APO in pregnancies with late-onset FGR.