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Amniotic fluid index (AFI) is a quantitative estimate of amniotic fluid [1] and an indicator of fetal well-being. It is a separate measurement from the biophysical profile. [1] AFI is the score (expressed in centimetres) given to the amount of amniotic fluid seen on ultrasonography of a pregnant uterus.
The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products between mother and fetus. For humans, the amniotic fluid is commonly called water or waters (Latin liquor ...
The gestational sac is spherical in shape, and is usually located in the upper part (fundus) of the uterus.By approximately nine weeks of gestational age, due to folding of the trilaminar germ disc, the amniotic sac expands and occupy the majority of the volume of the gestational sac, eventually reducing the extraembryonic coelom (the gestational sac or the chorionic cavity) to a thin layer ...
The presence of these biophysical variables implies absence of significant central nervous system hypoxemia/acidemia at the time of testing. By comparison, a compromised fetus typically exhibits loss of accelerations of the fetal heart rate (FHR), decreased body movement and breathing, hypotonia, and, less acutely, decreased amniotic fluid volume.
The volume of amniotic fluid typically increases until 36 weeks and starts decreasing after 40 weeks in post-term gestations. [4] For this reason, discrepancies between fundal height measurements and gestational age can be a clinical indication of amniotic fluid abnormality and should be evaluated by ultrasound.
Amniotic fluid normally enters the mother’s bloodstream during birth but allergic reactions only occur in 2.5 for every 100,000 births or 1 in 40,000 in the United States.
Usual follow-up steps include (1) a prenatal ultrasound exam to look for fetal abnormalities and/or (2) measurement of AFP in amniotic fluid obtained via amniocentesis. Maternal serum AFP (MSAFP) varies by orders of magnitude during the course of a normal pregnancy. MSAFP increases rapidly until about 32 weeks gestation, then decreases gradually.
Measurements of fetal Crown Rump Length (CRL). The embryo and fetus float in the amniotic fluid inside the uterus of the mother usually in a curved posture resembling the letter C. The measurement can actually vary slightly if the fetus is temporarily stretching (straightening) its body.