1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Seth G.S. Medical College & K.E.M. Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
*Adress for Correspondence: Dr. Sachin Sudarshan Patil M.D. (F. M.), Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Seth G.S. Medical College & K.E.M. Hospital, Parel, Mumbai-400012, Maharashtra, India. Contact No. 9757179483. E- mail: draach_patil7@rediffmail.com
Gestational age estimation is of paramount importance in civil and criminal cases. It can serve as an essential component to justify the charge of infanticide by determining whether the fetus has attained viability or not. The Objective of this study is to decide the utility of abdominal circumference in predicting gestational age, which can be helpful in various crimes in relation to foetuses. In addition it can serve as an alternate method of estimating gestational age in the cases in which head position precludes an accurate measurement of the biparietal diameter.
The present study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur for the duration of two years having sample size of 100 foetuses. Abdominal circumference was measured as per standard method and regression analysis was used for analyzing the collected data.
A statistically significant linear relationship was observed between Abdominal circumference (AC) and gestational age (r = 0.902, p < 0.001).
A highly significant correlation has been observed between gestational age and abdominal circumference, which is indicative of accuracy of the present study. Thus it can serve as highly reliable parameter in gestational age estimation.
Foetus, Gestational age estimation, abdominal circumference
