THE VALUE OF PONDERAL INDEX AS A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN PREDICTING COMPLICATIONS IN TERM NEONATES

Rohrer's ponderal index in newborns (birth weight * 100/height3) has been used as an indicator of fetal growth status, especially to assess asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation. Low ponderal index or disproportionate intrauterine growth retardation has higher neonatal morbidity and there are some specific guidelines in intrauterine growth retarded infants to control some of their prevalent complications like hypoglycemia. As there are no specific guidelines to control and screen some possible morbidities in babies with more than 2500 gram weight, we decided to determine the association between different ponderal index values and neonatal complications such as hypoglycemia, meconium aspiration syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia, perinatal resuscitation and duration of hospital stay in first born term infants. Three-hundred and sixty-one first born infants were studied during April 2000 to April 2001. Low, appropriate and high ponderal indexes were detected in 20.5%, 51 % and 28.5% of infants respectively. Among these infants, there were 47 intrauterine growth retarded cases. The frequency of hypoglycemia, meconium aspiration syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia and age at hospital discharge with a stay of more than 7 days were higher in the low ponderal index group than the other two groups and the statistical differences were significant (p< 0.05). Comparing neonatal morbidities according to birth weight (more or less than 2500 g), we could not find significant differences except in hypoglycemia (p< 0.05). This study showed that a low ponderal index could be used as a prognostic factor in predicting some morbidity in term neonates.