To advance the understanding of preterm premature rupture of membranes ( PPROM), Kimberly Fortner, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and colleagues examined membrane thinning and the presence of bacteria in membrane samples from women who had just given birth and had PPROM, preterm birth for other reasons or full-term birth. The researchers found that the chorion (the fetal membrane outer layer) was thinner at the site of rupture compared to a distant site in all groups, and that PPROM samples had more pronounced thinning overall. They also detected the presence of bacteria in all samples, with the highest bacterial counts in PPROM, and they demonstrated that thinner chorion is associated with increased bacterial presence.
