Spontaneous rupture of an unscarred uterus in early pregnancy: a rare but life-threatening emergency.

Spontaneous uterine rupture during early pregnancy is an extremely rare occurrence and may vary in presentation and course of events, hence the clinical diagnosis is often challenging. We present our experience with two such cases of spontaneous uterine rupture in the first trimester of pregnancy without any identifiable underlying risk factors. The first case was at 12 weeks of gestation and the second case was at 6 weeks gestational age (GA). Both cases were diagnosed and managed by the laparoscopic approach. We are reporting the earliest documented GA in which spontaneous uterine rupture occurred. So far, the earliest GA reported in the literature according to our knowledge was at 7+3 weeks. Access to a laparoscopic facility is crucial in the early definitive diagnosis and prompt management of these cases, since this may significantly reduce the risk of severe morbidity and mortality.

Comparison of the effectiveness of a PAMG-1 test and standard clinical assessment in the prediction of preterm birth and reduction of unnecessary hospital admissions.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to first compare the performance of the PAMG-1 biomarker test to that of standard clinical assessment (SCA) for the risk assessment of spontaneous preterm delivery (sPTD) among women with symptoms of preterm labor (PTL) and then calculate the potential impact on unnecessary admission reduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients of gestational age 240/7-366/7 with PTL symptoms, cervical dilatation ≤3 cm, no intercourse within 24 h, and clinically intact membranes were recruited consecutively into this prospective observational study. Specificity (SP), sensitivity (SN), positive-predictive value (PPV), and negative-predictive value (NPV) for the PAMG-1 test and SCA, for which a positive result was defined as patient admission, for predicting spontaneous delivery ≤7 and ≤14 d of presentation were calculated. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-eight patients were included in the analysis, 132 of which had both SCA and PAMG-1 results available. For the prediction of sPTD ≤7 d for SCA and PAMG-1, the PPV and NPV were 10% and 100%, and 71% and 98%, respectively. For prediction of sPTD ≤14 d for SCA and PAMG-1, the PPV and NPV were 14% and 100%, and 86% and 96%, respectively. Sixty-one per cent (81/132) of patients were admitted for treatment and/or observation. CONCLUSION: Our study reinforces the critical role of the PAMG-1 biomarker test to aid in risk assessment of imminent spontaneous preterm delivery in patients with symptoms of PTL. The PAMG-1 test was found to be statistically superior to standard clinical assessment alone, with respect to specificity. Based on our data, the introduction of a PAMG-1 test result into clinical decision making could reduce up to 91% of unnecessary admissions for women presenting with threatened preterm labor.