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Perinatal outcome following conservative management of mid‐trimester pre‐labour rupture of the membranes
Author(s) -
NOURSE CB,
STEER PA
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1997.tb01014.x
Subject(s) - medicine , gestation , chorioamnionitis , obstetrics , gestational age , pregnancy , intraventricular hemorrhage , rupture of membranes , genetics , biology
Objective: To assess perinatal outcome and the effect of antenatal steroid use following conservative management of 86 consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated by pre‐labour rupture of membranes (ROM) in the mid‐trimester (13–26 weeks; mean 22.8 weeks). Methodology: Review of obstetric and neonatal case notes between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1993. Results: The duration of ruptured membranes (latent period) ranged from 1.25 to 105 days (mean 23.8 days; median 14 days) and was inversely related to gestational age at ROM. There was clinical evidence of chorioamnionitis in 39.5% with placental histological changes consistent with chorioamnionitis in 76.6%. All infants were delivered before 33 weeks gestation (mean 26 weeks). Overall, the mortality rate was 43.0% but 62.5% in infants with ROM before 24 completed weeks gestation. Adverse outcome (defined as death, severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) or periventricular leucomalacia (PVL)) occurred in 46.5% and was significantly related to both gestation at delivery and gestation at ROM. In the group ( n = 40) with ROM before 24 weeks gestation, adverse outcome occurred in 65% and was inversely related to gestation at ROM independent of gestation at delivery. Antenatal steroid administration resulted in less adverse outcome independent of gestation at delivery (OR 0.31; 95% CI (0.09–0.98; P = 0.046)). Conclusion: From the neonatal perspective conservative management is justified for pregnancies with ROM at or after 24 weeks gestation; in this group the use of antenatal steroids prior to delivery may improve perinatal outcome. A poor outcome is associated with ROM that occurs before 24 weeks gestation.