Objective: We wished to assess the diagnostic value of amniotic fluid concentrations of neutrophil elastase and interleukin-6 concentrations for the rapid detection of chorioamnionitis and funisitis.
Study design: A retrospective study of 56 women who underwent transabdominal amniocentesis within 48 h before preterm delivery or spontaneous abortion. Statistical analyses included Student's t-test and Tukey-Kamer's HSD test. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn to assess the predictive performance of the two markers.
Results: Neutrophil elastase concentrations differed significantly between patients with chorioamnionitis and other stages of chorioamnionitis, while interleukin-6 concentrations did not. To predict chorioamnionitis, concentrations of 3563 ng/ml for neutrophil elastase and 11,279 pg/ml for interleukin-6 were optimal. Comparison of ROC curves showed that neutrophil elastase was a significantly more sensitive predictor of funisitis than interleukin-6.
Conclusion: Amniotic fluid concentrations of neutrophil elastase are more sensitive than interleukin-6 for the rapid detection of chorioamnionitis and funisitis.
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