PubMed · 74209
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M E Kimball, A Milunsky. 1978-01-15. Test for elevated AFP levels.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(78)90398-8
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A proposed convention sets zero pressure at atmospheric pressure at the level of the surface supporting the supine patient and takes the cm of water as the unit of measurement. This ensures that measurements made in different clinics will be comparable. Statements about 'higher' and 'lower' pressures, in different patients or in the same patient in different situations, should specify the level of the uterus to which the statement applies.
The value of the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay (LAL) in the diagnosis of intraamniotic infection was determined in amniotic fluid from transabdominal amniocenteses in 51 women in preterm labor with intact membranes. The prevalence of positive amniotic fluid cultures was 21.5% (11/51) in detecting intraamniotic infection. The LAL was positive in 19.6% (10/51), its sensitivity 81.8% (9/11), specificity 97.5% (39/40), positive predictive value 90.0% (9/10), and negative predictive value 95.1% (39/41). Similarly, in detecting women who would fail tocolysis and deliver prematurely, its sensitivity was 27.6% (8/29), specificity 90.9% (20/22), positive predictive value 80% (8/10), and negative predictive value 48.8% (20/41). We conclude that LAL is a simple, rapid and sensitive test for detecting intraamniotic infection in women in preterm labor.
An investigation of the clinical usefulness of ROMCheck Membrane Immunoassay, a new method for the detection of amniotic fluid in the vagina, was undertaken. The ROMCheck-test is a monoclonal antibody test against fetal fibronectin in amniotic fluid. It was compared to commonly used methods as ferning, Nile blue staining of fetal cells and Nitrazine paper. We examined twenty pregnant women with suspected rupture of membranes and twenty women with apparently intact membranes receiving routine prenatal care. We found that clinical detection of amniotic fluid in the vagina resulted in a positive ROMCheck-test. When the ROMCheck-test was negative there was no indication of rupture of membranes. When the ROMCheck-test was positive and the other tests were negative, we could not exclude the possibility of the presence of amniotic fluid in the vagina at the time of examination. The test is a useful tool in identifying the presence or absence of amniotic fluid in the vagina.