The ponderal index in triplets: II. Gestational age-related patterns of neonatal weights and lengths. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • In order to evaluate the determinants of high and low ponderal indices in triplets, we analyzed prospectively collected data from a cohort of 2181 triplet births. Low and high neonatal ponderal indices (birth weight/[length]3) were defined as below or above 1 SD from the mean. The mean ponderal index was of 2.4 +/- 0.4. At 30-31 weeks, there were significantly more infants with a low ponderal index; after 33 weeks, more infants were born with a high index. Birth weights of infants with a high index were significantly higher throughout the entire range of gestational ages, whereas their lengths were significantly smaller. Both birth weights and infant length had significant correlations with gestational ages for infants with a low (R2=0.97 and R2=0.94, respectively) as well as with high ponderal indices (R2=0.95 and R2=0.94, respectively). The regression analyses suggest, however, different patterns for infants with low or high ponderal indices.

publication date

  • January 1, 2004

Research

keywords

  • Anthropometry
  • Gestational Age
  • Triplets

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 1442276342

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1515/JPM.2004.012

PubMed ID

  • 15008390

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 32

issue

  • 1