Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common and complex obstetric problem. IUGR is noted to affect approximately 10-15 % of pregnant women.
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is defined as low birth weight infants whose birth weight is lower than the 10th percentile for the particular gestational age.
Intrauterine growth restrictionis a clinical definition and applies to neonates born with clinical features of malnutrition and in-utero growth retardation, irrespective of their birth weight percentile, So, appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants can be labeled as IUGR if they have features of in-utero growth retardation and malnutrition at the time of birth. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that neonates with a birth weight less than the 10th percentile will be SGA, but not an IUGR if there are no features of malnutrition, and a neonate with a birth weight greater than the 10th percentile will be an IUGR in spite of being an AGA, if the infants have features of malnutrition at birth.
The postnatal diagnosis of IUGR infant includes clinical examination, anthropometry, Ponderal index, clinical assessment of nutrition (CAN) score, cephalization index, mid-arm circumference, and mid-arm/head circumference ratios.