Cervico-vaginal fetal fibronectin: Predictive value during false labor

Abstract

Objective. The purpose was to determine to what extent fetal fibronectin was a discriminative test of preterm delivery in patients hospitalized for uterine contractions without modification of the cervix. Study design. The prospective double-blind study included patients hospitalized between 24 and 34 weeks for false labor. Cervicovaginal swabs were obtained and assayed for the presence of fetal fibronectin by means of a monoclonal antibody assay. Results. Out of the 61 patients included, 18 showed a positive swab. The correlation of a positive result with preterm delivery revealed a sensitivity of 56%, a specificity of 81%, and positive and negative predictive values of 56% and 81% respectively. Meta-analysis of studies published shows that the presence of fibronectin represents a significant relative risk of 3.3 (IC:2.5-42) of preterm delivery. Conclusion. The presence of fetal fibronectin in cervicovaginal secretions of patients presenting with false labor indicates a major risk of preterm delivery.