20-year Research Project Finds Ultrasounds Can Help Predict Risk of Preterm Births
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An innovative use of ultrasound technology will allow clinicians to establish risk of preterm birth as early as 23 weeks. Barbara McFarlin, a professor emeritus at the UIC College of Nursing, has been collaborating for more than 20 years with engineering researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on a technique that uses quantitative ultrasound to measure microstructural changes in a woman’s cervix. Dr. McFarlin explained that the current method for assessing a woman’s risk of preterm birth is based solely on whether she has previously given birth prematurely. She added that the rate of preterm births is around 10% of all pregnancies in the U.S. and there is no current way of assessing risk in first-time pregnancies. “Today, clinicians wait for signs and symptoms of a preterm birth,” said McFarlin. “Our technique would be helpful in making decisions based on the tissue and not just on symptoms.” This innovative diagnostic received coverage in Crains Chicago Business.