Histologic Funisitis and Likelihood of Intrauterine Inflammation or Infection: A Case-Control Study

The objective of this study was to ascertain the likelihood of isolated maternal fever and suspected intrauterine inflammation or infection or both (Triple I) among cases of histologic chorioamnionitis with funisitis (HCF) at term.

In this case-control study, placental pathology records were reviewed to identify term singleton laboring patients with HCF. Controls (1:1) were matched for gestational age.

During the 6-month period, there were 2,399 term deliveries of laboring women. Of 1,552 (65%) term placentas examined, 4% (n = 60) had HCF.Features of Triple I were significantly more common among cases than controls: (1) isolated maternal fever of ≥100.4°F, twice, at least 30 minutes apart (p = 0.014); (2) fever with fetal tachycardia (p = 0.029); 3) fever with either fetal tachycardia or white blood cell count greater than 15,000 per mm³ (p = 0.034). The feature of Triple I with the highest sensitivity at 10% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 4-21%) was isolated maternal fever using ≥100.4°F on two occasions. The specificity for all features was consistently 100% (95% CI 91-100%).

To our knowledge, this is the first report on HCF and Triple I features. Though the sensitivity of Triple I to identify HCF is low, specificity is excellent.