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Date of Presentation

5-8-2025

Document Type

Article

Department

Medicine

Faculty Mentor

Amy M. Eichfeld, MD

Keywords

ultrasonography, rural health care, urban health care, prenatal care

Subject Categories

Medicine and Health Sciences | Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Background: Rural communities in the United States face significant barriers to prenatal care, including limited access to birthing facilities and obstetric providers. Accurate prenatal ultrasonography is essential for identifying congenital anomalies and predicting birth outcomes, particularly in these underserved areas.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether ultrasonographic accuracy differs between rural and urban counties, specifically in predicting birth weight and detecting congenital anomalies.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted using data from the Sanford Health system. Maternal and fetal data were collected from second trimester ultrasounds and compared with postnatal outcomes. Counties with populations under 50,000 were classified as rural. Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression.

Results: Fetal weight percentile at the second trimester ultrasound was not predictive of birth weight percentile in either rural (R² = 0.165) or urban (R² = 0.1103) settings, with no significant difference between models (p = 0.7478). Anomaly detection rates were 50.0% in rural and 31.7% in urban counties, also not statistically significant (p = 0.6416). Maternal age and cervical length differed significantly between groups, but other variables showed no meaningful differences.

Conclusion: Ultrasonographic accuracy in predicting birth weight and detecting anomalies did not significantly differ between rural and urban counties. Further research with larger sample sizes and consideration of equipment variability is needed to validate these findings and improve prenatal care in rural settings.

Ultrasonographic Accuracy in Rural vs Urban Counties

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