title: Fetal acoustic stimulation testing. III. Predictive value of a reactive test.
abstract: The nonstress test (NST) is a helpful adjunct to the management of high-risk pregnancies. However, fetal sleep states may lead to falsely nonreactive tests. We assessed the usefulness of transabdominal acoustic stimulation of the fetus and demonstrated an approximately 50% reduction in the number of nonreactive tests and a shorter testing time. No change in the predictive reliability of a reactive test was observed. With regard to the intrapartum and neonatal outcome in women delivering within seven days of a reactive test, no difference between the incidence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, depressed one- or five-minute Apgar scores or operative intervention for fetal distress could be identified. A reactive test evoked by acoustic stimulation is as reliable as the NST. It offers the additional benefits of reduced testing time and a lower incidence of nonreactive tests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Southern California School of Medicine and Women's Hospital, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Phelan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Broussard
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy