BACKGROUND: The effects of subclinical histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) on the newborn infant is a major and still controversial topic in neonatology. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relations between HCA, clinical signs of chorioamnionitis, and neonatal outcomes.
SUBJECTS: 222 consecutively born infants, free of known congenital abnormalities (M 109, F 113, gestational age, M ± SD, 36.5 ± 4.9 wks; birth weight 2591 ± 991 gr).
METHODS: Clinical signs of chorioamnionitis, placental histology and neonatal outcomes were evaluated. The infants were divided into three groups, on the basis of the clinical and histologic findings: A) clinical HCA, B) subclinical HCA, C) HCA-negative. The χ2 statistics. Fisher's test. Mann-Whitney's U. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance or Dunn's test were used to evaluate differences between the groups. A p value< 0.05 was considered of statistical significance.
RESULTS: 35 infants (M 15, F 20) were assigned to group A, 52 (M 29, F 23) to B. and 135 (M65, F70) to C. respectively. Differences between the groups concerned: preterm birth (A 68.6%, B 40.3%, C 29.6%. p 0.001; A vs B, p<0.001), birth asphyxia (73.5% 52% 31.9% p 0.001), respiratoory distress syndrome (40% 38.55 7.4% p<0.001), air-leak (5.9% 14.0% 1.5% p<0.01), intraventricular haemorrhage (17.1% 17.3% 0.7% p<0.001), early-onset sepsis (11.4% 5.8% 0& p<0.001), late-nset infection (5.7% 3.8% 0% p<0.05), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (5.7% 9.6% 0% p<0.001), illness severity (SNAP-PE median 26.9, range 0-95; 22.8, 0-82, 7.5, 0-32; p 0.001), therapeutic intensity (NTISS: median 19.63, range 1-42; 15 3, 0-42, 7.4, 0-32; p 0.001), and neonatal mortality (8.6% 15.4% 0% p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: The findings primarily indicate that subclinical HCA is frequent and is associated with adverse perinatal and neonatal outcomes comparable to those of symptomatic HCA
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Felice, C., Toti, P., Palmeri, M. et al. Significance of Subclinical Histologic Chorioamnionitis 45. Pediatr Res 42, 392 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199709000-00065
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199709000-00065