• S P Chauhan, M Sanderson, N W Hendrix, E F Magann, and L D Devoe.
• Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, South Carolina, USA.
• Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1999 Dec 1;181(6):1473-8.

ObjectiveOur purpose was to perform a meta-analysis of studies on the risks of cesarean delivery for fetal distress, 5-minute Apgar score <7, and umbilical arterial pH <7.00 in patients with antepartum or intrapartum amniotic fluid index >5.0 or <5.0 cm.Study DesignUsing a MEDLINE search, we reviewed all studies published between 1987 and 1997 that correlated antepartum or intrapartum amniotic fluid index with adverse peripartum outcomes. The inclusion criteria were studies in English that associated at least one of the selected adverse outcomes with an amniotic fluid index of 5.0 cm. Contingency tables were constructed for each study, and relative risks and standard errors of their logs were calculated. Fixed-effects pooled relative risks were calculated for groups of studies that were homogeneous, whereas random-effects pooled relative risks were calculated for significantly heterogeneous groups of studies.ResultsEighteen reports describing 10,551 patients met our inclusion criteria. An antepartum amniotic fluid index of 5.0 cm, is associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery for fetal distress (pooled relative risk, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.4) and an Apgar score of <7 at 5 minutes (pooled relative risk, 5.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-11.3). An intrapartum amniotic fluid index of ConclusionsAn antepartum or intrapartum amniotic fluid index of

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