Raised Vaginal Fluid Fibronectin Level Indicates Premature Rupture of Membrane

• Main Authors: Amrita Bhowmik, Debashish Paul, Mst Nigar Sultana, Nasrin Sultana, Samira Humaira Habib, Samsad Jahan, http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jemc.v2i2.12841, Khodeja Begum
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Enam Medical College, Dhaka 2012-07-01
• Series: Journal of Enam Medical College
• Subjects: Vaginal fluid; Fibronectin; Rupture of membrane
• Online Access: http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/JEMC/article/view/12841

Background: Premature rupture of membrane (PROM) is one of the common complications of pregnancy that has major impact on fetal and neonatal outcome. It is the commonest clinical event where a normal pregnancy becomes suddenly a high-risk one for mother and fetus or neonate. Objective: The study was undertaken to investigate whether raised fibronectin level in vaginal fluid may indicate premature rupture of membrane. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Sir Salimullah Medical College & Mitford Hospital, Dhaka during the period of January 2006 to December 2007. A total of 114 pregnant women with gestational age 28th week up to 40th week were included. Sixty were PROM (Group I) and 54 were non-PROM (Group II) subjects. Fibronectin in vaginal fluid was measured by an immunochemical reaction by nephelometer. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 10.0. Results: The PROM patients had significantly higher concentration of fibronectin (225.77 ± 115.18 ng/mL) compared to that in non-PROM subjects (8.04 ± 16.17 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that in cases of unequivocal rupture or intactness of the membranes, the result of the fibronectin test corresponds well with the clinical situation. So fibronectin is a sensitive test for detection of amniotic fluid in the vagina.