Twenty-four percent of patients with clinical chorioamnionitis in preterm gestations have no evidence of either culture-proven intraamniotic infection or intraamniotic inflammation

Among patients with preterm clinical chorioamnionitis, 24% had no evidence of either intraamniotic infection or intraamniotic inflammation, and 66% had negative amniotic fluid cultures, using standard microbiologic techniques. These observations call for a reexamination of the criteria used to diagnose preterm clinical chorioamnionitis.