Current Issues in the Development of Foetal Growth References and Standards

Purpose of Review This paper discusses the current issues in the development of foetal charts and is informed by a scoping

review of studies constructing charts between 2012 and 2018.

Recent Findings The scoping review of 20 articles revealed that there is still a lack of consensus on how foetal charts should be

constructed and whether an international chart that can be applied across populations is feasible. Many of these charts are in

clinical use today and directly affect the identification of at risk newborns that require treatment and nutritional strategies.

However, there is no agreement on important design features such as inclusion and exclusion criteria; sample size and agreement

on definitions such as what constitutes a healthy population of pregnant women that can be used for constructing foetal standards.

Summary This paper therefore reiterates some of these current issues and the scoping review showcases the heterogeneity in the

studies developing foetal charts between 2012 and 2018. There is no consensus on these pertinent issues and hence if not resolved

will lead to continued surge of foetal reference and standard charts which will only exacerbate the current problem of not being

able to make direct comparisons of foetal size and growth across populations.