Antenatal CTG: Prediction of Preinatal Outcome in Patients Planned for induction

Abstract

This is a descriptive prospective cross sectional hospital based study. Conducted at Soba teaching hospital in the period between May and October 2002. The study population was pregnant patients who underwent induction of labour. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the antenatal cardiotocography tracing (CTG) in the prediction of the perinatal outcome. The patients were interviewed directly by the investigator herself as well as the doctors on duty who followed up the progress of labour. The study included 75 patients who are admitted for induction of labour. Prior to the induction CTG was performed and biophysical profile to those patients who had non reactive CTG. CTG tracing for each patient was analyzed by two different consultants and their results were compared and analyzed. The study revealed that there was a significant relationship between antenatal CTG and perinatal outcome in terms of low Apgar score at one and five minutes. Eighty percent of the neonates admitted to neonatal care unit had non reactive CTG. and 60% had abnormal biophysical profile <8/8 . No relationship was found between the biophysical profile and Apgar score at one and five minutes. The analysis of the reading of all CTG tracings by two different consultants revealed there was some disagreement between them in the suspicious and pathological tracing 53%, IX 50% with great agreement in the reading of the normal reactive trace 94.5%. In conclusion antenatal CTG may detect affected fetuses and should be regarded as a reliable method of antenatal fetal surveillance in high-risk pregnancies.