title: Evaluation of latex agglutination test for alpha-fetoprotein in diagnosing rupture of fetal membranes.
abstract: To assess the utility of a latex agglutination test for alpha-fetoprotein in vaginal fluid for diagnosing rupture of the fetal membranes, we tested 91 pregnant women, including 32 with an established rupture, 19 with no evidence of rupture and 40 with a suspected rupture. Results were compared with those of the pH indicator and the fern tests. The latex agglutination test had better sensitivity, specificity, or both, than the pH indicator and the fern tests. We conclude that the latex agglutination test is more accurate than either the pH indicator or the fern test for diagnosing premature rupture of fetal membranes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jachi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minakami
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D014621:Vagina / Q000737:chemistry; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins