Intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis

David Miller, MD, Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, explains everything you need to know about a intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis
Intrauterine Growth Restriction - Causes, Risks, and Treatment
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Intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis

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What is intrauterine growth restriction, and what happens when this diagnosis is made? First of all, intrauterine growth restriction is usually defined as an estimated weight that is less than the tenth percentile for gestational age. It can have lots of different causes. One of the most common causes is the gestational age is just wrong. Sometimes the estimated due date is calculated incorrectly, if that can be confirmed, then sometimes we have to change the due date. Another cause of the baby measuring less than the tenth percentile is just the normal variation in size of a normal baby, that's called constitutional growth restriction or constitutionally small baby. Sometimes that happens because the parents aren't that big. Sometimes it happens because the baby is just not destined to be a great big baby, but sometimes fetal growth restriction, also called intrauterine growth restriction, can have more significant causes. One of the major categories of causes of growth restriction is congenital or genetic. For example, babies with Down's Syndrome are more likely to be small than babies who don't have Down's Syndrome. Another major category is growth restriction because the baby is not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients from the placenta. We're usually able to use ultrasound and some of the other techniques that we have at our disposal to sort out which is which, but if your doctor makes that diagnosis and suspects that growth restriction is due to abnormal fetal oxygenation, most likely your doctor will want to refer to a specialist with additional experience and training in evaluating such conditions.

David Miller, MD, Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, explains everything you need to know about a intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis

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David Miller, MD

Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

David A. Miller, MD, is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.  He is the Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Director of the CHLA-USC Institute for Maternal Fetal Health, a unique alliance of medical leaders from Children's Hospital Los Angeles and USC, specializing in interdisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of complex fetal abnormalities.  Dr. Miller graduated from USC, attended medical school at the University of Arkansas, did his internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and came back to USC for fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Perinatology).  He has been a researcher, clinician and educator at USC for more than 20 years.  Dr. Miller has published extensively in the area of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and has won numerous awards and honors including Best Doctors in America from 2001-present.

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