The objective of this study was to determine the value of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cervical secretion to diagnose microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity in patients with premature rupture of the membranes. Cervical secretions were sampled immediately before amniocentesis in 124 patients with singleton pregnancies and preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Gestational age ranged between 24 and 32 weeks. Amniotic fluid was cultured and IL-6 measured in amniotic fluid and cervical secretions. A total of 33.8% (21/124) of the amniotic fluid cultures had positive results. In cervical secretions the median concentration of IL-6 was 672 pg/ml (range 5–1,250) in the presence of intra-amniotic infection in contrast to 95.5 pg/ml (range 12–640) in women with negative amniotic fluid culture (p ≤0.001). There were no differences between IL-6 concentrations in the cervical secretions of patients with or without obvious leakage of amniotic fluid. A significant relationship was found between IL-6 levels in amniotic fluid and in cervical secretions (ρ = 0.74, p ≤0.001). An IL-6 level in cervical secretions >200 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 78.5%, a specificity of 73.1% and a relative risk of 4.6 for intra-amniotic infection. Receiver-operator characteristics curve analysis showed that IL-6 assay in cervical secretions is comparable to IL-6 assay in amniotic fluid in predicting intra-amniotic infection (p = 0.468).In conclusion, intra-amniotic infection is associated with increased levels of IL-6 and concentrations in cervical secretions are related to amniotic levels. The measurement of IL-6 in cervical secretions may help to noninvasively identify intra-amniotic infection among pregnancies with preterm premature rupture of membranes.

This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.