title: Optical coherence tomography: a potential tool to predict premature rupture of fetal membranes.
abstract: A fundamental question addressed in this study was the feasibility of preterm birth prediction based on a noncontact investigation of fetal membranes in situ. Although the phenomena of preterm birth and the premature rupture of the fetal membrane are well known, currently, there are no diagnostic tools for their prediction. The aim of this study was to assess whether optical coherence tomography could be used for clinical investigations of high-risk pregnancies. The thickness of fetal membranes was measured in parallel by optical coherence tomography and histological techniques for the following types of birth: normal births, preterm births without premature ruptures and births at full term with premature rupture of membrane. Our study revealed that the membrane thickness correlates with the birth type. Normal births membranes were statistically significantly thicker than those belonging to the other two groups. Thus, in spite of almost equal duration of gestation of the normal births and the births at full term with premature rupture, the corresponding membrane thicknesses differed. This difference is possibly related to previously reported water accumulation in the membranes. The optical coherence tomography results were encouraging, suggesting that this technology could be used in future to predict and distinguish between different kinds of births.
authors: Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors: Serap C
authors: SC
authors: Micili
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Valter
authors: Hakan
authors: H
authors: Oflaz
authors: Candan
authors: C
authors: Ozogul
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Linder
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Föckler
authors: Gerhard M
authors: GM
authors: Artmann
authors: Ilya
authors: I
authors: Digel
authors: Aysegul T
authors: AT
authors: Artmann
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004867:Equipment Design; D005321:Extraembryonic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D047928:Premature Birth; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Preterm birth; birth types; fetal membrane; histology; optical coherence tomography; premature rupture; soft tissue