Are static fetal growth charts still suitable for diagnostic purposes?

摘要

Fetal growth curves and the corresponding interpretation of biometric data represent an essential diagnostic tool in clinical practice and for epidemiological studies, but their validity is questioned by the population-reshuffling phenomenon and by other factors. To restore their diagnostic effectiveness, a suitable interpretative model has to be developed based on new parameters and on a global approach for data collection. To achieve this goal we studied the combined adoption of multidimensional analysis and of cloud-based data-harvesting techniques to produce customized curves more suitable for diagnostic purposes. In particular, multidimensional analysis allows to identify and to avoid more effectively false positives and/or false negatives while the use of cloud allows collecting and processing data on a global scale. The feasibility of the proposed approach is discussed referring to a prototype and a test on the field on a small scale.