Aims: Abdominal circumference (AC) assessment may be used as an index of abdominal visceral size, fetal fat store, and intrauterine nutrition. The aim of this study is to construct sex-specific references and smoothed percentiles for AC at birth in term and near-term Caucasian infants.
Methods: AC was measured in 4542 singleton newborns (2323 males, 2219 females), at a gestational age > or =35 weeks. Smoothed percentiles for AC were constructed by sex and gestational age according to the LMS method.
Results: Males had higher AC than females but differences were only statistically significant beyond 37 weeks. AC increased from 35 to 41 weeks in both sexes.
Conclusions: Sex-specific references constructed for AC in term and near-term Caucasian newborns might be used, as other anthropometric parameters, in the assessment of nutritional status at birth.