Using ultrasonic A- and B-scan equipment (Kretz-Technik), 80 pregnancies with chronic placental dysfunction were investigated: 34 cases with hypertension, 24 cases with diabetes and 22 cases with rhesus immunization. In addition to biparietal diameter (A-scan), the direct and transverse diameter, the circumference and the area were estimated on B-scan displays of the occipito-frontal plane and the largest cross-sectional plane of the abdomen. 15 parameters of fetal growth and body composition were compared with normal standards. The significance of the different methods in the diagnosis of fetal dysmaturity was demonstrated.