Abstract
BACKGROUND: Preterm labor (PTL) is the main challenge in prenatal health care, leads to high rate of mortality and increases cost of health services. To evaluate the preterm delivery (PTD)-related risk factors, we decided to measure nitrite oxide metabolites and cervical length (CL) as the diagnostic and predictive tools for PTD in women and response to tocolytic therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, sixty women of 18-35 years with first pregnancy during the 24-34 gestational weeks with PTL in case group admitted to the delivery section of Beheshti Hospital, Isfahan, Iran were included. Sixty women in control group have the same specifications. NO and CL level were assessed, and the collected data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 20 and MedCalc software, version 15.1. RESULTS: The two groups were similar regarding maternal and gestational age (P > 0.05). Lower level of NO was observed in PTL women with a mean of 35.30 ± 8.27 μmol/L compared to the normal gestation group with a mean of 39.05 ± 10.17 μmol/L (P = 0.035). In addition, the diagnostic accuracy of both PTL-predicting factors was determined (NO ≤31, sensitivity 99.7%, specificity 82.5% and CL ≤22, sensitivity 80%, specificity 99.9%). CONCLUSION: As the previous investigations stated, it can be claimed that NO might be the reliable marker for predicting the PTL, and administration of NO synthesis could be a candidate for the future therapeutic target.