الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
PROM is defined as spontaneous rupture of the fetal membranes before the onset of labor, whether at term or preterm. The overall incidence of PROM is 2.7% to 17% of all pregnancies.
The exact pathophysiology of PROM is not well defined, but the currently accepted postulation is that of reduced fetal membrane strength, mostly due to unnoticed infection that will eventually lead to its rupture.
Diagnosis of PROM has instituted a clinical dilemma over the time due to the lack of a diagnostic test with accepted accuracy. The gold standard in diagnosing PROM is visualising the passage of liquor through the external cervical os during a speculum examination, which is not always possible in cases of PROM. However, Vaginal washings B-HCG may be helpful in diagnosis of PROM because it is present in amniotic fluid due to direct diffusion from placenta.
The current study was designed to assess the role of quantitative measurement of B-HCG in vaginal washings for diagnosis of PROM.
Fifty pregnant females 28-40 weeks of gestation were recruited from El Shatby Maternity University Hospital. The patients in this study were allocated into two groups; the first group included twenty five pregnant females complaining of evident passage of liquor before the onset of uterine contractions, while the other included twenty five pregnant females with no complaint of passage of liquor before the onset of uterine contractions.
All the cases were subjected to complete gynecological, obstetric, menstrual and medical history, general and obstetric examination including abdominal and vaginal examination using sterile speculum to assess passage of amniotic fluid and the condition of internal os, laboratory investigations including complete blood count, fasting sugar, Nitrazine paper, vaginal washings B-HCG.
Ultrasonographic scanning was done to assess fetal viability, gestational age, presenting part and fetal lie, AFI and fetal congenital anomalies.
The results of the study were tabulated and statistically analysed and revealed that estimation of vaginal washings B-HCG is a cheap, simple and reliable confirmatory method for diagnosing PROM.