Reliability of Gestational age Assessment of Newborn by Physical Parameters: A Twin Pregnancy Case Report

Background: Estimation of gestational age is one of the crucial steps in improving clinical care for neonates and determining the complications due to premature delivery. Several ways have been used for the assessment of gestational age out of which assessment of physical parameters in newborns is of importance in case of lack of access to ultrasound, late registration of pregnancy and maternal illiteracy which makes the accurate estimation of neonate’s gestational age difficult. Case report: Here we report a case of a 28-year-old woman with dichorionic and diamniotic twins who delivered a male baby followed by the delivery of a female baby through caesarean section at full term. However, on assessment of physical parameters of both newborns, one was found to be a term baby while the other was preterm based on the assessment of physical parameters which included- examination of the ear, genitals and the sole creases. Conclusion: This case report concluded that the physical examination findings alone are not as reliable as the ultrasound scan in establishing the gestational age of the newborn, although, in clinical settings where access to ultrasound is unavailable, the New Ballard Scoring system is of great importance in estimating the newborn’s maturity by evaluating certain physical as well as neuromuscular parameters.