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Identifying women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery who are not likely to give birth imminently would help avoid unnecessary intervention. Dutch researchers conducted a nationwide prospective cohort study to estimate the combined accuracy of cervical length plus fetal fibronectin to predict risk for impending delivery in 665 women (103 with multiple gestations) who presented with signs of preterm labor between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation (mean, 29 weeks). Models were developed using the two tests alone or combined to stratify women into low- and high-risk groups based on a 5% threshold of risk for delivery within 7 days.
Median cervical length at study entry was 25 mm; fetal fibronectin was negative in 55% of participants. A total of 8…