Accuracy of ultrasound dating formulae in the late second-trimester in pregnancies conceived with in-vitro fertilization.

PURPOSE: To investigate the accuracy of ultrasound dating formulae in the late second trimester of pregnancy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A dataset of 136 singleton pregnancies conceived by artificial reproductive techniques was studied to assess the accuracy of ultrasound dating formulae in the late second trimester, and compared with early second trimester. A total of 21 published ultrasound-dating formulae were tested.

RESULTS: For most formulae, late second trimester scans yielded results that were marginally less accurate than the early second trimester. The best performance was obtained with dating formulae based on femur length, either alone or combined with the biparietal diameter. These formulae had mean absolute errors of 3-3.5 days. Combining two or more parameters did not result in any substantial gain in accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy dating by ultrasound in the late second trimester is sufficiently accurate for routine clinical use. Formulae based on femur length appear to be at least as accurate as head measurements.