Antepartum fetal surveillance.
Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol, 7 (2):
146--149 (April 1995)Abstract
In recent years the advances in prenatal diagnosis of fetal asphyxia have been dramatic and increasing at a remarkable pace. Now that a solid base of multivariable testing has been accepted as the method of choice for assessment of fetal health, the focus of clinical research has shifted towards identification of factors and signs that might predict not only risk of death and immediate morbid outcome but also the quality of life after delivery. The papers reviewed here outline the scope of the problem of cerebral palsy and offer clues as to how fetal disease may become manifest as child or adult sustained neurological injury. Concurrently, the advances in refinement of the testing methods are reviewed. Clearly a better understanding of the etiology, physiology, and range of fetal responses to asphyxia will be the key to effecting not only better survival rates but also a higher quality of survival.