The prognostic value of electrohysterography in prediction of premature labour

Premature birth is the leading cause of a neonatal death, so, it is extremely important to distinguish the pregnancy at risk of preterm threatening labour. The electrohysterography seems very promising as a method which enables noninvasive recording of readable bioelectrical signal of uterine muscle. The developed instrumentation enabled simultaneous recording of bioelectrical signals by means of electrodes attached to abdominal wall and mechanical activity of uterine muscle using fetal monitor. Material comprised 27 patients in physiological pregnancy (27 ÷ 40 week), and 21 patients (23 ÷ 36 week) with the symptoms of threatening premature labour. The obtained results showed that quantitative parameters of detected uterine contractions: amplitude and contraction area, obtained both for mechanical and electrical activity, were statistically significant (p < 0.05) to distinguish the patients at risk of premature labour. However, their reliability is low because they strongly depend on individual patient features. We consider the parameters characteristic for electrohysterogram exclusively e.g. contraction power and its median frequency as more useful (p < 0.05). Noninvasive electrohysterography ensures higher sensitivity and specificity for recognition of uterine contraction activity in comparison to classical mechanical method.