Antepartum fetal evaluation by assessment of fetal heart rate and fetal movements

Three antenatal monitoring tests--fetal movement acceleration test (FMAC-test), fetal heart rate-nonstress test (FHR-NST), and daily fetal movement recording (DFMR) were evaluated in 212 high risk pregnant women. While in 196 cases all three tests were normal, in 16 patients one to three tests showed pathological results. In the latter group, there was a significantly higher incidence of perinatal mortality, low Apgar score and growth retardation. Since false positives are known to occur in these tests, at least two should be pathological to warrant delivery in am attempt to prevent fetal death in utero. The sequence in which the pathology appears in the deteriorating fetus is as follows: the first to become non-reactive is the FMAC-test, followed by decreased fetal movements till cessation, and, finally, severe changes in the FHR-NST take place. The importance of this sequence of events is discussed.