Micili Serap C, Valter Markus, Oflaz Hakan, Ozogul Candan, Linder Peter, Föckler Nicole, Artmann Gerhard M, Digel Ilya, Artmann Aysegul T
Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
Proc Inst Mech Eng H. 2013 Apr;227(4):393-401. doi: 10.1177/0954411912468557. Epub 2012 Dec 6.
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.
本研究探讨的一个基本问题是基于对原位胎膜的非接触式检查来预测早产的可行性。尽管早产和胎膜早破现象广为人知，但目前尚无用于预测它们的诊断工具。本研究的目的是评估光学相干断层扫描是否可用于高危妊娠的临床检查。通过光学相干断层扫描和组织学技术，对以下几种分娩类型的胎膜厚度进行了平行测量：正常分娩、未发生胎膜早破的早产以及足月胎膜早破的分娩。我们的研究表明，胎膜厚度与分娩类型相关。正常分娩的胎膜在统计学上显著厚于其他两组。因此，尽管正常分娩和足月胎膜早破分娩的妊娠期几乎相同，但相应的胎膜厚度却有所不同。这种差异可能与先前报道的胎膜积水有关。光学相干断层扫描的结果令人鼓舞，表明该技术未来可用于预测和区分不同类型的分娩。
