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Clinical features of small contraction wave recorded by an external tocodynamometer
T Kawarabayashi1, K Kuriyama, T Kishikawa
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saga Medical School, Japan.
Clinical features of the small contraction wave recorded by a guardring tocodynamometer were examined retrospectively. This study included 578 patients and 6363 cardiotocographs ranging from 20 to 42 weeks of gestation. The small wave was observed in 7.5% of the cardiotocographs examined, and the rate of small-wave appearance in each gestational week tended to decrease gradually as the pregnancy progressed. This was not observed after 41 weeks of gestation. The small wave-positive group had relatively poor obstetric parameters and fetal outcome, and the small wave was frequently observed in cases of effective beta 2-stimulant intravenous infusion for the treatment of preterm labor. These results suggest that the small wave represents some degree of contractility and is ominous in general; however, the appearance of the wave does not lead to a poor prognosis in preterm labor if large phasic contractions can be abolished by beta 2-stimulant treatment.
Clinical features of the small contraction wave recorded by a guardring tocodynamometer were examined retrospectively. This study included 578 patients and 6363 cardiotocographs ranging from 20 to 42 weeks of gestation. The small wave was observed in 7.5% of the cardiotocographs examined, and the rate of small-wave appearance in each gestational week tended to decrease gradually as the pregnancy progressed. This was not observed after 41 weeks of gestation. The small wave-positive group had relatively poor obstetric parameters and fetal outcome, and the small wave was frequently observed in cases of effective beta 2-stimulant intravenous infusion for the treatment of preterm labor. These results suggest that the small wave represents some degree of contractility and is ominous in general; however, the appearance of the wave does not lead to a poor prognosis in preterm labor if large phasic contractions can be abolished by beta 2-stimulant treatment.