Antenatal detection of growth retardation: actual practice in a large maternity hospital.

A retrospective analysis of the antenatal management of 226 cases of growth retardation was carried out. One-hundred-and-fourteen cases (50%) were not suspected antenatally. Of the 112 suspected cases, 107 were subjected to further tests of fetal well-being. Eighty-one (72%) of the 112 received no further action or surveillance because of erroneously reassuring results or no further tests. Thirty-one women were either admitted antenatally (15) or delivered early (16). The low rate of initial suspicion combined with the disappointing results of the further tests emphasizes the need for more accurate screening procedures for growth-retarded babies.