Abstract
Objective: To estimate the risk of preterm birth in women admitted to the tertiary maternity
hospital for preterm contractions by measuring electrical uterine activity. Study design: The study included 47 patients with contractions between the 25th and 35th week of
gestation and additional risk factors for preterm delivery. Uterine electrical activity
was recorded using bipolar electrodes placed on the abdominal surface. A logistic
model with the electromyographic and obstetric data was built, preterm delivery before
37th week of gestation being the outcome measure. Results: Seventeen patients (36%) delivered before term. Logistic regression model suggested
only the intensity of electrical uterine activity and woman’s body weight to be significant
predictors of preterm delivery, with high values related to preterm birth. They predict
preterm delivery with the sensitivity of 47% and specificity of 90%. Conclusion: We propose uterine EMG as a simple, non-invasive means to estimate the risk of preterm
birth in a high-risk population with multiple risk factors present.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
June 14,
2000
Identification
Copyright
© 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
