Background Studies examining the use of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a predictor of chorioamnionitis in preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) report highly conflicting results. Despite this, CRP is commonly used for the early diagnosis of chorioamnionitis.Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of CRP in the detection of chorioamnionitis in women with PPROM.Design Systematic review.Search strategy Studies were identified from MEDLINE , EMBASE (1974EMBASE ( -2006, PubMed and the Cochrane Library (2005) and from reference lists from primary studies and reviews.Selection criteria Only studies of good methodological quality that evaluated the diagnostic performance of CRP in chorioamnionitis in women with PPROM were selected.Data collection and analysis Positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) were calculated. An attempt was made at pooling data for meta-analysis, but this was considered inappropriate due to the significant unexplained heterogeneity between studies.

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