Castle B M, Turnbull A C
Lancet. 1983 Aug 27;2(8348):471-3. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)90508-1.
54 patients admitted to hospital in labour before the 34th week of pregnancy had real-time ultrasonography to establish the presence or absence of fetal breathing movements. In 19 of 20 pregnancies with no detectable fetal breathing, delivery occurred within 48 h whereas in 25 of 34 with fetal breathing on admission, pregnancy continued for a week or more; of the remaining 9, 7 had had spontaneous rupture of the membranes (with amnionitis in 4). If the presence of fetal breathing identifies cases in which preterm labour will subside spontaneously, this sign should be of value both in trials of treatment and in clinical management.
54名在妊娠34周前入院待产的患者接受了实时超声检查，以确定是否存在胎儿呼吸运动。在20例未检测到胎儿呼吸的妊娠中，有19例在48小时内分娩，而在34例入院时检测到胎儿呼吸的妊娠中，有25例妊娠持续了一周或更长时间；其余9例中，7例发生了胎膜自发破裂（4例伴有羊膜炎）。如果胎儿呼吸的存在能识别早产将自发缓解的病例，那么这个体征在治疗试验和临床管理中都应该是有价值的。
