View article

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical significance of a systemic inflammatory response as defined by an elevated plasma interleukin-6 concentration in fetuses with preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes.

Amniocenteses and cordocenteses were performed in 157 patients with preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes. Written informed consent and multi-institutional review board approvals were obtained. Amniotic fluid was cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, as well as mycoplasmas. Amniotic fluid and fetal plasma interleukin-6 concentrations were measured with a sensitive and specific immunoassay. Statistical analyses included contingency tables, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and multiple logistic regression.

One hundred five patients with preterm labor and 52 patients with …