The presence or absence of fetal breathing movements as a predictor of outcome in preterm labor

Visualization and quantitation of fetal movements by real-time three-dimensional ultrasound with live xPlane imaging in the first trimester of pregnancy

“…The quantification of fetal movements has been shown to predict preterm birth and the absence of breathing movements served as a marker for preterm labor (6,7). The changes in the quality of general fetal movements identify the deterioration of the fetal central nervous system (8).…”

Fetal and Maternal Physiology and Ultrasound Diagnosis

“…103 Following premature rupture of membranes, 104,105 during the 3 days prior to the initiation of labor, a decrease in fetal breathing-like has been recorded. 106,107 However, similar maturation patterns in breathing and spontaneous fetal body movements were demonstrated among low-and high-risk fetuses threatening to deliver prematurely, which suggests normal functional development in the high-risk fetal group. 108 Some studies have shown that maternal consumption of alcohol, methadone, as well as cigarette smoking decrease the incidence of breathing-like movements.…”

Accuracy of absence of fetal breathing movements in predicting preterm birth: a systematic review

“…Table 1 summarizes the salient features of each of the eight selected studies8–15. The methodological quality of these studies is summarized in Figure 2, where it is shown that none of the studies fulfilled all four criteria of an ideal study.…”

“…Figure 1 summarizes the process of literature identification and selection. There were eight primary accuracy articles that met the selection criteria, including a total of 328 women8–15.…”

“…Many primary studies claim that as a test, absence of fetal breathing movements is accurate in predicting spontaneous preterm birth8–15. However, these studies have not generally been conducted with a sufficiently large sample size to provide precise accuracy estimates.…”