Objectives: The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate fetal fibronectin bedside test (Mast Diagnostica) to rule out preterm labor.
Study design: 46 patients from between 25 and 36 weeks were included in the study over a six months period. All patients underwent only one cervical sampling at the beginning of the study. The association between the fetal fibronectine test results and various outcomes were analysed.
Results: 5 of the 16 women whose test results were positive had early labor and 4 of the 30 patients with negative test results had preterm delivery. The bed side test had a sensitivity of 55.6%, a specificity of 70.3%, a positive predictive value of 31.3%, and a negative predictive value of 86.7%. The addition of tocolytic therapy and intensive care resulted probably in decrease of the predictive capacity of a positive fetal fibronectine test, odds ratio 2.95 (95% confidence interval 0.54-16.85). However interval from diagnosis to delivery was shorter (P < 0.025), cervical findings (Bishop score) worse and betamimetic treatment was more frequent (P < 0.01) in the group with positive test results.
Conclusions: Positive fetal fibronectine test results indicates a significant risk for the subsequent early delivery and negative test result is a good indication that subsequent preterm labor and early delivery are unlikely to occur.