title: Amniotic fluid index for screening late pregnancies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out whether amniotic fluid index (AFI) could be used to screen late pregnancies which presented at the clinic for the first time for any adverse perinatal outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study that compared patients with AFI > or = 5 with those with AFI > or = 5.
  
  
  METHODS
  Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand one hundred and eleven consecutive cases referred to the ultrasound unit for the first time after 36 weeks of pregnancy between 1st January 1997 and 31st December 1997.
  
  
  METHODS
  AFI and rate of induction, Caesarean Section; and incidence of foetal distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 1111 patients, 350 had AFI < 5 and 761 had AFI > or = 5. The relative risk for induction and Caesarean section were 6.08 and 3.38 respectively. The relative risk for developing foetal distress was 8.48. The sensitivity was 79.6% and the specificity 89.5% in using AFI < 5 for predicting foetal distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that AFI < 5 could be used to screen late pregnancies for foetal distress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Seffah
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Armah
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000209:etiology; D005869:Ghana; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007751:Labor, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*