الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and preterm delivery are very challenging obstetric problems. The main problem for an obstetrician in the management of PPROM is to predict when such a patient is likely to go in in labor especially in cases of expectant management. Expectant management gives us the time for fetal lung maturity but with a risk of infection to both mother and baby. PROM is defined as rupture of amniotic fluid membrane before the onset of uterine contraction or labor, and if it is occur before 37 completed weeks it is called PROM which accounts for approximately one third of all preterm births. More than 90% of pregnant women who experience PPROM prior to 34 weeks deliver in less than one week and PPROM is a significant cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The actual cause of PPROM is unknown, but it has many risk factors some of which are maternal such as previous history of PPROM in a prior pregnancy, direct abdominal trauma, cigarette smoking and others are uteroplacental factors such as uterine anomalies as uterine septum, placental abruption, uterine overdistension as in polyhydramnios and multiple pregnancy, intra-amniotic infection (chorioamnionitis). One of the characteristic features of PPROM is the brief time from rupture of membranes to delivery, with decreasing gestational age. Neonatal morbidities are strongly correlated with gestational age at delivery, strategies to extend latency for those pregnancies that may benefit from the delay in delivery are often employed. The measurement of myometrial thickness by ultrasound may be helpful in the management of pregnant woman with preterm premature rupture of membranes and threatened preterm labor because it may help in prediction of latency interval of labor. Latency period means the time interval between rupture of membranes to the onset of active labor. PPROM is associated with several factors that lead to fetal morbidity and mortality , chorioamnionitis advanced labor and non reassuring fetal status usually force the clinician to affect delivery despite fetal immaturity. This study aims to assess the value of myometrial thickness measurement as a method in prediction of latency period in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes till delivery.