Clinical Significance of Preterm Singleton Pregnancies Complicated by Placental Abruption following Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes Compared with Those without p-PROM

The purpose of this paper was to examine the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of preterm singleton pregnancies complicated by placental abruption following preterm premature rupture of membranes (p-PROM) compared with those without p-PROM. We reviewed the obstetric records of 95 singleton deliveries complicated by placental abruption at 22-36 weeks' gestation. The incidence of placental abruption in singleton pregnancies with p-PROM was 4.7%, and the crude odds ratio of placental abruption for women following p-PROM was 6.50 (P < 0.01). Of the 95 cases of placental abruption in preterm singleton deliveries, 64 cases (67.4%) occurred without p-PROM and 31 cases (32.6%) occurred following p-PROM. The incidence of histological chorioamnionitis stage III in the patients following p-PROM was significantly higher than that in the patients without p-PROM (P = 0.02). The rate of emergency Cesarean deliveries associated with nonreassuring fetal status (NRFS) in the patients following p-PROM was significantly lower than that in the patients without p-PROM. However, there were no significant differences in the maternal and neonatal outcomes between the patients with and without p-PROM. Although p-PROM may be one of important risk factors for placental abruption associated with chorioamnionitis, it may not influence the perinatal outcomes in preterm placental abruption.