Objective: To examine whether the presence of amniotic fluid sludge (AFS) could increase the risk of preterm delivery in women with a cervical length (CL) of less than 25 mm.Materials and methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 110 women who were 14-30 weeks pregnant with a singleton gestation and a CL of less than 25 mm. The primary outcomes were defined as preterm delivery before 34 weeks and preterm delivery before 37 weeks. The secondary outcome was defined as preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) prior to preterm delivery. Risk factors for preterm delivery were defined as AFS, subchorionic hematoma (SCH), history of preterm delivery, CL of less than 20 mm, and CL of less than 15 mm. A univariate analysis was performed to assess the primary and secondary outcomes according to the presence or absence of each risk factor. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the parameters, using a significance of p < .05 on the univariate analysis to examine whether they were independent risk factors.Results: A significantly increased risk of preterm delivery was found in the group of women with AFS who actually did deliver prior to 34 weeks (p < .001; odds ratio [OR] 6.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.51-16.5), prior to 37 weeks (p = .001; OR 4.46; 95% CI 1.76-11.3), and who had PPROM (p < .001; OR 4.96; 95% CI 2.00-12.3). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed in the women with AFS who experienced preterm delivery before 34 weeks, in the women with a CL less than 20 mm, and in the women with a CL less than 15 mm. The results showed that AFS was an independent risk factor for preterm delivery before 34 weeks (p = .001; OR 5.86; 95% CI 2.11-16.3).Conclusion: The presence of AFS was an independent risk factor for preterm delivery before 34 weeks in women with a CL less than 25 mm.
Keywords: Cervical incompetence; echogenic amniotic fluid; meconium; subchorionic hematoma.