Selection criteria for oxytocin stress test.

The main aim of the investigation was to study in which patients oxytocin stress test (OST) should be used. From 1071 patients routinely monitored with antenatal cardiotocography ( = non-stress test) 112 were selected for 151 OSTs for two reasons: 1) normal or suspect pathologic non-stress test (NST) 2) slight or severe pathologic NST regardless of risk classification. In the first group of 85 OSTs, only 2 proved positive. In the second group of 66 OSTs, 22 were positive. The oxytocin stress will give little additional information to the NST when the latter is normal; the OST could be restricted to the relatively few patients with pathologic NST.