The roll-over test as a screening procedure for gestational hypertension

One hundred and ninety-one primigravidae each had 2 roll-over tests between 28 and 34 weeks of gestation. The first identified 21 (44%) and the second 20 (42%) of the 48 women who later became hypertensive. Of the women who remained normotensive, the first test identified 82 (57%) and the second, 78 (54%). Only 10 (21%) of the women who became hypertensive had 2 positive results and only 50 (35%) of those who remained normotensive had 2 negative results. The mean increase in diastolic pressure on moving from the left lateral to the supine position was the same in women who remained normotensive as in those who became hypertensive. The results of the investigation suggest that the roll-over test is not sufficiently reliable, sensitive, or specific for use as a screening test for gestational hypertension in clinical practice.