Conventional Cardiotocography versus Computerized CTG Analysis and Perinatal Outcomes: a Systematic Review

Introduction: Cardiotocography (CTG) constitutes a major and generally used tool for the assessment of fetal well-being. Subjectivity is the main difficulty in the interpretation of CTG. Inter- and intra-observer variability are substantival features of the interpretation of CTGs. An auspicious answer for reduction of inter- and intra-observer variability is the computerized analysis of fetal heart rate (FHR). Moreover, computerized analysis contributes to the reduction of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Objective: The aim of the present review was to compare the visual and computerized analysis of CTG for establishing whether computerized CTG was related to better perinatal outcomes. Materials and methods: Three electronic medical related databases (PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane) were searched from May to June 2023 in order to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English. Studies were evaluated for their methodological quality with the CONSORT checklist. The target population comprised pregnant or intrapartum women into cardiotocographic monitoring. The intervention was represented by the visual analysis of CTG, and the comparison intervention by the computerized analysis of CTG. Primary outcomes included adverse perinatal outcomes. Results: A total of 47 studies relevant with the topic were examined. However, only five articles met all inclusion and methodological criteria; four of those demonstrated that computerized analysis had no significant reduction in the rate of metabolic acidosis or obstetric interventions, and one study found a lower incidence of adverse perinatal outcome with conventional CTG (with fetal blood sampling). However, all reviews propose further development of decision-support software and more large-scale RCTs in the future. Conclusion: The computerized analysis of FHR is a promising solution for the reduction of adverse perinatal outcomes and elimination of inter- and intra-observer variability.