3D Ultrasound Identifies Women at Risk for Preterm Birth

Preterm birth is a major public health problem with long-lasting repercussions on families and society. The researchers discovered that the ultrasound measurements could identify a preterm risk of delivery within five days of the measurement. "Our results suggest that examining the fetal adrenal gland at the time a woman is evaluated for symptoms of preterm labor may have major beneficial clinical implications,” said first author of the study, Dr. Ozhan Turan, postdoctoral fellow in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine.

The investigators reported that determining the time when a marker becomes positive in relationship to preterm birth is essential for a test with high diagnostic accuracy. "The high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the adrenal gland volume in predicting preterm birth within five days from the time of examination proves that [3D] ultrasound evaluation of the fetal adrenal gland has the desired test characteristics to define a population at risk,” the researchers reported.

The current study creates the foundation for additional prospective studies to confirm that 3D ultrasound evaluation of the fetal adrenal gland volume can assist clinicians with devising better therapeutic and preventive interventions for preterm birth.


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