International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | April 2022 | Vol 10 | Issue 4 Page 862 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Sajjan SM et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2022 Apr;10(4):862-866 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Gestational age assessment of neonates using foot and hand length measurements: a cross sectional tertiary care centre study Shruti M. Sajjan, Sushma Malik*, Vinaya M. Lichade, Poonam Wade INTRODUCTION Gestational age (GA) is a useful parameter for assessing the maturity of the new born and for prediction of mortality and morbidity. Conventionally, gestational age of neonates is computed based on Naegele’s formula or by ultrasonic evaluation during pregnancy or using modified new Ballard scoring (NBS) after birth. 1 Gestational age based on Naegele’s formula has lower accuracy in settings with low literacy and are likely to be affected by variation in ovulation. 2 The “gold standard” for GA assessment is ultrasound ideally in the first trimester. Ultrasound requires radiologist, equipment and for maximum accuracy, first-trimester antenatal clinic attendance. Ultrasound as a tool to assess gestational age, is a limiting factor, particularly in developing countries like India where women undergoing the recommended number of at least 4 antenatal visits is low and availability of USG with an expert radiologists is limited in remote villages/community. 3 Assessment of gestational age of neonates using modified new Ballard score (NBS) may not be reliable as its accuracy depends on the skill of examiner and the condition of the neonate. 4 It cannot be used in asphyxiated neonates and babies with depressed neurological state. Thus, there is need to develop a simple, inexpensive and practical method to identify Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology Division, Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Received: 27 January 2022 Revised: 01 March 2022 Accepted: 03 March 2022 *Correspondence: Dr. Sushma Malik, E-mail: sushmamalik@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Gestational age of neonates computed based on Naegele’s formula, ultrasound, or using modified New Ballard score (NBS) is limited in the community setup due to illiteracy, accessibility and expertise. Hence there should be alternative technique which can be done even by inexperienced health care staff and in rural communities. Objective of current study was to find out the correlation of foot and hand length with gestational age among neonates. Methods: A cross sectional study including 200 neonates and their foot length, hand length, birth weight was recorded. Gestational age assessment was done using modified NBS. Correlation among various study parameters was done using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: Of the 200 neonates studied, the mean foot length was 7.1±0.46 cm with a range of 4-8.5 cm. The mean hand length was 6.0±0.71 cm with a range of 3.8-7.4 cm. The mean foot and hand length of term neonates was higher than preterm neonates. The mean foot and hand length of normal weight neonates was higher than Low birth weight neonates. Conclusions: Foot and hand length is a simple, quick and reliable measurement which can be used as a proxy measurement to gestational age assessment. It can be easily measured by traditional birth attendants in the community. Keywords: Gestational age, Foot length, Hand length, Birth weight DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20220977