The Impact of the Prophylactic or Therapeutic Application of Bryophyllum on Preterm Delivery - a Prospective Study

Preterm delivery (delivery before 37 +0 weeks of gestation) is still the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity in the western countries. Due to this fact it is only possible to achieve the mortality rate of 5‰, aspired by WHO, by an effective decrease of the current preterm delivery rate.

An exact ascertainment of the etiology of preterm delivery is hardly possible, because multiple, partly overlapping or multifactorial etiologies exist. Various pathologies (e.g. of the placenta, fetus uterus or endocrine dysfunctions) may lead to preterm deliveries or preterm contractions.

Traditional diagnostic tools for preterm contractions/preterm deliveries has consisted of clinical examinations (digital palpation of the cervix) and the recording of the contractions by the tocogram. Both methods have a low sensitivity and predictive values. Furthermore the clinical examination has a high interobserver variability of 29%.

With the introduction of transvaginal sonographic measurements, the sensitivity for preterm deliveries could substantially be elevated.

Despite intensive efforts in the field of preventive care, screening and therapeutic interventions (e.g. the use of tocolytics), the incidence of preterm deliveries has remained stable for over two decades.