Qualitative amniotic fluid volume (AFV) was determined by a linear array ultrasound method in 120 patients referred with a diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Eighty-nine of these patients were delivered of a normal infant; the false positive rate by clinical methods alone was 74.2%. Qualitative AFV was termed normal if at least one pocket of amniotic fluid measuring 1 cm in its broadest diameter was identified. Qualitative AFV was normal in 91 patients, and 86 were delivered of a normal fetus (93.4%). In contrast, qualitative AFV was decreased in 29 patients, and 26 were delivered of a fetus with IUGR (89.9%). These differences were highly significant. Perinatal morbidity was increased tenfold in patients with decreased AFV. Overall, 26 of 31 IUGR fetuses (83.4%) demonstrated decreased qualitative AFV.