Device could predict preterm birth risk

A new device, to be developed by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield, could help doctors reliably predict the risk of preterm birth.

The project is being funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

A team of doctors and scientists from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation trust and the University of Sheffield recently showed that women who are at high risk of preterm birth have lower resistance in their cervix in mid-pregnancy than women who deliver at term. The teams have been awarded almost £800,000 to test a small pencil-tip probe which can detect properties that are known to change in the cervix prior to the onset of premature labour.

The device uses patented technology involving a method on impedance spectroscopy to pick up on changes to the composition and structure of cervical tissue.

The original version of the device was tested on 500 women in a clinical research trial. A new study employing the new device will feature up to two hundred women who previously had a preterm birth.

Once tested, all pregnant women could be offered an assessment of their risk of premature labour during their mid-pregnancy anomaly scan, between the 18th and 20th week of pregnancy.

Professor Dilly Anumba, a consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sheffield’s Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, said: “Preterm birth is a huge global problem, and the prediction and prevention of preterm birth remain challenging, because current methods, such as measuring the cervix by ultrasound, have limited accuracy. If a technique that reliably predicts preterm birth could be developed, care measures can be employed to delay birth to reduce potential long-term disability and impairment. We know that even if we can delay birth by a number of weeks, we can reduce the risk of more severe outcomes. Thanks to NIHR funding, we will now be able to improve on our original promising invention, and build on the world-leading expertise in Sheffield to improve pregnancy and preterm outcomes.”

Around 15 million babies are born prematurely every year. Complication from preterm birth are the leading cause of death among children under five years of age and are responsible for nearly 1 million deaths annually.