Comparison of Four Tests for Preterm Birth Prediction in Symptomatic Singleton Women: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Najjarzadeh, Maryam; Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, Sakineh; Jafarabadi, Mohammad Asghari; Abbasalizadeh, Shamsi; Mirghafourvand, Mojgan

Background and Purpose: It is challenging to predict preterm births accurately. We sought to compare the diagnostic performance of cervical length in predicting preterm birth to those of contraction recording in cardiotocography (CTG), cervical funneling, and Bishop score. Methods: A total of 371 women with singleton pregnancies and threatened preterm labor admitted to tertiary hospitals of northwestern Iran were included in this prospective cohort study and followed up until childbirth. Transvaginal ultrasound was utilized to assess the cervical length and funneling. Also, a CTG test and digital vaginal examination were performed. The data of 218 women were analyzed in the STATA software. The sensitivity and other diagnostic performances, and 95% confidence intervals, were reported. Results: The CTG uterine contraction recording had the highest sensitivity for predicting birth within the next 2 days, whereas a Bishop score ≥6 revealed the highest specificity, positive predictive value, and positive likelihood ratio. Inadequate cervical length for gestational age exhibited a high negative predictive value and the lowest negative likelihood ratio. Conclusion: The cervical length test has good diagnostic and prognostic performance among the four tests for preterm birth. Cervical funneling and CTG tests have poor predictive value, whereas the Bishop score has a superior diagnostic performance to the other tests.

IRAN; RISK assessment; PREDICTIVE tests; COST effectiveness; PREMATURE infants; SAMPLE size (Statistics); FETAL ultrasonic imaging; ENDOSCOPIC ultrasonography; TERTIARY care; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; LONGITUDINAL method; ODDS ratio; CONCEPTUAL structures; COMPARATIVE studies; DATA analysis software; CONFIDENCE intervals; SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors; EXERCISE tests; FETAL heart rate monitoring; SENSITIVITY & specificity (Statistics); CERVIX uteri; MUSCLE contraction

Journal of Nursing Measurement, 2024, Vol 32, Issue 2, p194

1061-3749

Academic Journal

10.1891/JNM-2022-0054