ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The uterine length measurement is a routine practice in the prenatal care of pregnant women. It has been attributed a sensibility of 86% to detect fetal grown restriction. The technique is easy to perform and reproducible between observers, although we have found variation between intra- and inter-observers measurements. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the useful of a maneuver to improve the reliability of the uterine length measurement in a group of obstetrics residents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The measurement was performed on pregnant women. The results were analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficient to evaluate the concordance between observers based in a variance analysis model (ANOVA) of repeated measurements. RESULTS: There were not differences between groups about demographic variables. All residents improve the reliability in their measurements. The intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.77 (confidence interval 0.63-0.88) before the maneuver, and after this one the intra-class correlation coefficient improved to 0.96 (confidence interval 0.92-0.98). CONCLUSION: The uterine measurement following detailed indications improve the interobserver concordance. We think it is advisable to evaluate the use of this maneuver in a routine way in our institute and in other places that bring prenatal care.
