Resumen

SALAZAR DE DUGARTE, Guillermina; FANEITE ANTIQUE, Pedro  y  PINEDA DE MOLINA, Francis. Capacidad de la alfa-fetoproteína en suero materno como marcador predictivo de parto pretérmino. Rev Obstet Ginecol Venez [online]. 2009, vol.69, n.4, pp.219-225. ISSN 0048-7732.

Objective: To determine the role of alpha-fetoprotein as predictor or preterm delivery. Methods: Clinical, cohort, no experimental study performed in 170 patients, 85 with risk factors for preterm delivery (study group), and 85 patients with no risk factors for preterm delivery and no pathology (control group). A blood sample was taken at 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy to evaluate alpha-fetoprotein levels. Setting: Perinatology Unit, Hospital "Dr. Adolfo Prince Lara", Puerto Cabello. Results: We found an association between the increase of alpha-fetoprotein levels in maternal serum and preterm delivery. X² = 19.30 P< 0.05, RR = 8 IC 95 % (2.50-25.57), RA = 24.71 IC 95 % (14.36-35.05), sensibility = 79.41 %, specificity = 81.62 %, VPP = 51.92 %, VPN = 94.07 %, prevalence = 20 %, exactness = 80,51 %, correlation coefficient -0.069. Conclusion: The alpha-fetoprotein has predictive capacity for preterm delivery; we recommend its use in pregnancies with risk of preterm delivery.

Palabras clave : Preterm delivery; Alpha-fetoprotein; Preterm predictors.