Cost and clinical utility of repeated syphilis screening in the third trimester in a high-risk population.

Objective: We sought to determine the clinical utility and cost of repeating syphilis testing in the third trimester of pregnancy in a high-risk urban population.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed for patients delivering from January 1993 through December 2009 with at least 1 venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test sent during pregnancy. Chart review was performed for patients with confirmed syphilis to determine the temporal relationship of syphilis diagnosis to the pregnancy.