Sonographic Estimation of Amniotic Fluid Volume Using the Amniotic Fluid Index and the Single Deepest Pocket in a Resource-Limited Setting

OBJECTIVE: To determine the normal value of amniotic fluid (AF) volume among pregnant women in a Northern Nigerian population and to determine if there is a relationship between AF index (AFI) and single deepest pocket (SDP) with anthropometric variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among singleton pregnant women at late second and third trimester attending the antenatal clinic in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, from December 2016 to April 2017. The mean AFI and SDP were measured by sonography. Ethical approval was obtained from the institution and informed consent was sought for from all the participants. Descriptive statistics, i.e. mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient, were used for the analysis. RESULTS: A total of 206 women, aged between 18 and 40 years, with fetal gestational ages between 22 and 39 weeks were included in the study. The values for AFI in the study ranged from 12 to 28.7 cm, with a mean value of 19.84 ± 3.64 cm, and SDP ranged from 3.7 to 9.1 cm with a mean value of 6.04 ± 1.12 cm. This study found a weak relationship between the anthropometric variables and AFI and SDP and a strong relationship between AFI and SDP with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.901 and P = 0.014. CONCLUSION: This study found the mean values for AF volume using AFI and SDP in the studied population to be 19.84 ± 3.64 cm and 6.04 ± 1.12 cm, respectively; a strong positive relationship between AFI and SDP; and a negative relationship between body mass index with AFI and SDP.