| pubmed-article:1626174 | pubmed:abstractText | Twenty-six cases of premature braking of the membranes which occurred before week 34 of amenorrhea and lasted for more than 5 days are assessed retrospectively. The mean age when the membranes broke was 26.6 weeks of amenorrhea. Delivery occurred on average at 31.5 +/- 2 WA, with an interval of between 6 and 91 days (mean 35 +/- 23 days). In 4 cases, chorioamniotitis complicated the premature breaking of the membranes. The perinatal mortality rate was 5 out of 27, including 2 still births. Nine of the neonates showed respiratory distress which required artificial ventilation. Four cases of pulmonary hypoplasia were confirmed by pathological examination. In all cases, this was associated with a reduction in the volume of the amniotic fluid, reduced fetal mobility and delayed intrauterine growth. In contrast, when these three factors were absent the prognosis was always good, regardless of the date at which the membranes broke. In the long term, the surviving children showed no neurological sequelae. | lld:pubmed |
