Accuracy of fibronectin tests for the prediction of pre-eclampsia: a systematic review

M. M.G. Leeflang, J. S. Cnossen, J. A.M. van der Post, B. W.J. Mol, K. S. Khan, G. ter Riet

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review systematically all studies that assessed the accuracy of maternal plasma fibronectin as a serum marker for early prediction of pre-eclampsia. We therefore assessed studies that reported on fibronectin as serum marker for pre-eclampsia before the 25th gestational week. For the selected studies, sensitivity and specificity were calculated and plotted in ROC-space. We included 12 studies, of which only 5 studies reported sufficient data to calculate accuracy estimates, such as sensitivity and specificity. These five studies reported on 573 pregnant women of whom 109 developed pre-eclampsia. At a sensitivity of at least 50%, specificities ranged between 72 and 96% for cellular fibronectin. For total fibronectin, these numbers were 42-94%. Fibronectin seems to be a promising marker for the prediction of pre-eclampsia, however, further studies are needed to determine whether the accuracy of this test is sufficient to be clinically relevant.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-19
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Volume133
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished or Issued - Jul 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Fetal fibronectin
  • Fibronectin
  • Pre-eclampsia
  • Prediction
  • Sensitivity and specificity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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