title: Clinical significance of procalcitonin in cervico-vaginal secretions of women with preterm rupture of membranes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare vaginal fluid procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations in cases of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and healthy pregnant women, and to determine whether the PCT concentrations are of value in the diagnosis of PPROM cases and clinical amnionitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  50 cases with PPROM and 50 healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. In the PPROM group, analysis was conducted on PCT concentrations with reference to serum leucocytosis, serum C-reactive protein level and urine analysis, as well as to presence/absence of clinical amnionitis. Statistical analyses were carried out by using the statistical packages for SPSS 12.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Procalcitonin levels in the PPROM group were significantly higher than in cases of healthy pregnant women (1.17 vs 0.05 ng/ml; p < 0.001). In the PPROM group PCT concentrations between the patients with and without clinical amnionitis were comparable. Also, a significant correlation was observed between PCT and leucocytosis (r = 0.64; p < 0.001) and C-reactive protein (r = 0.90; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the value of vaginal fluid PCT determinations can be useful for diagnostics of PPROM cases suspected of intrauterine infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kuyumcuoglu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kangal
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Guzel
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Celik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000032:analysis*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000378:metabolism*; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007964:Leukocytosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis*; D014621:Vagina / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide