A Hospital Based Prospective Study to Assess the Role of Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) in Postdated Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcome

Abstract

Background: Oligohydramnios is associated with increased maternal morbidity, increased rate of induction of labour and caesarean section. Thus, this study was conducted to find the significance of amniotic fluid index in determining the maternal and perinatal outcome in pregnant women who came postdated to our department, admitted, and evaluated to find out the feto-maternal outcome with regards to amniotic fluid index in those patients. Materials & Methods: A hospital based prospective study done on 100 antenatal women whose gestational age is >40 weeks admitted in our department in district hospital Dholpur, Rajasthan, India during one year period. A study proforma was filled for each case. During delivery the colour of liquor was observed. Birth weight of the baby recorded. The rate of NICU admission is recorded. The perinatal outcome is followed up for 28 days after delivery.Results: 90 out of 100 antenatal postdated women (90%) gave birth to babies of weight 2.5 to 4 kg, and 10 out of 100 women (10%) gave birth to < 2.5 kg babies out of which (N=2/10) 20% of babies were in anhydramnios group, (N=1/10) 10% were in AFI < 3 group, (N=2/10) 20% were in AFI 3 to 8 group. and (N=5/10) 50% of them had AFI > 8. By Chi Square test, there was high significance between AFI in postdated birth weight of the baby and the P value is less than 0.05*.Conclusion: AFI is a predictor of fetal tolerance in labour and its decrease is associated with increased risk of abnormal heart rate and meconium-stained fluid. This is overcome by assessing AFI through ultrasonogram at the earliest in third trimester, biophysical profile scoring, and proper intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring.