399pIGFBP-1 and Fibronectin for Preterm Delivery—Hua-Sieng Ting et al Original Article Comparison of Bedside Test Kits for Prediction of Preterm Delivery: Phosphorylated Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1 (pIGFBP-1) Test and Fetal Fibronectin Te

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of bedside test kits for pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin test in predicting preterm delivery. Materials and Methods: Patients presenting with symptoms of preterm labour between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation were recruited. Both pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin bedside tests were performed. Managing obstetricians and patients were blinded to the pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin results. Tocolysis and steroid therapy were administered to all the recruited patients. Outcome data were collected after delivery. Results: One hundred and eight patients were recruited into the study. Fourteen patients had to be excluded from the final analysis due to incomplete data and failure to meet inclusion criteria. Ninety-four patients had complete data for analysis. Among those with negative pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin results, the median [±standard deviation (SD)] gestational age at delivery was 37.4 weeks (±2.8 weeks) and 37.4 weeks (±2.1 weeks), respectively. Among those with positive pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin results, the median (±SD) gestational age at delivery was 32.9 weeks (±4.0 weeks) and 34.2 weeks (±4.2 weeks), respectively (P <0.001 for both pIGFBP-1 and fetal fibronectin). A positive result with either test was associated with