Clinical usefulness of the dye-injection method for diagnosing premature rupture of the membranes in equivocal cases.
OBJECTIVE
In 1981, we preliminarily reported on the clinical value and safety of the intra-amniotic dye (Phenol-sulfonphthalein, PSP)-injection method for diagnosing PROM. In the current study, through examination of 64 equivocal cases in the midtrimester of pregnancy, we investigated the clinical efficacy of the PSP test.


METHODS
In the present study we examined patients with equivocal PROM in their 14th week to 33rd week of gestation, whose findings were positive according to a combination of conventional diagnostic methods. The results of the PSP test and conventional diagnostic methods were compared with the final diagnosis of PROM.


RESULTS
The conventional diagnostic methods showed an accuracy rate of 63.9%-70.5%, in contrast to the PSP test, which had a 100%-accuracy rate (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Using the PSP test in combination with amnioscopy, we have established a method of differentially diagnosing PROM. We have reconfirmed the clinical efficacy of the PSP test in 64 equivocal PROM cases.
Fujimoto
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Kishida
T
T
Sagawa
T
T
Negishi
H
H
Okuyama
K
K
Hareyama
H
H
Makinoda
S
S
D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005332:Fetoscopy; D006801:Humans; D010637:Phenolsulfonphthalein; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D010637:Phenolsulfonphthalein