Is evaluation of placenta with real time sonoelastography during the second trimester of pregnancy an effective method for the assessment of spontaneous preterm birth risk?

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of placental strain ratio (SR) values measured by real time sonoelastography (SE) in the second trimester in the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Methods This study included 70 pregnant women who applied to our clinic for routine second trimester screening. Placental SR measurements was performed with the SE method. Two different SR measurements were performed by taking two different tissues as references. The SR value measured when taking the rectus abdominis muscle as a reference was termed the muscle to placenta strain ratio (MPSR), while the SR value measured when taking subcutaneous tissue as a reference was termed the fat to placenta strain ratio (FPSR). Womens whose gestational age at birth was less than 37 weeks 0 days were accepted as sPTB. The association between gestational age at birth and MPSR and FPSR was investigated. ROC analysis was used to calculate the sensitivity and spesificity of the elastographic outcomes. Results There was a low level negative correlation between MPSR and gestational age at birth (r =−0300, P = .012) and there was a moderate level negative correlation between FPSR and gestational age at birth (r =−0.513, P < .001). The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the FPSR (β = 0.609, P = .002) was the significant predictor for the sPTB. Conclusions Our data indicate that the FPSR value measured with real time SE in the second trimester of pregnancy may be effective in the prediction of sPTB.