Ultrasonography in the detection of cervical incompetency

Abstract

In 80 pregnancies with clinical and ultrasonic signs of cervical incompetency, the length of the cervix and the thickness of the anterior wall of a lower uterine segment have been evaluated ultrasonically. We have also measured the width of the endocervical canal and studied the prolapse of fetal membranes (with fetal parts) into the endocervical canal. We evaluated these same parameters in 80 healthy pregnancies. The length of the cervix, the thickness of the anterior wall of a lower uterine segment, and the width of the endocervical canal were followed longitudinally in the patients from the 10th to the 36th gestation week. No statistically significant differences between age groups were found. In four age groups at risk for cervical incompetency, cervical lengths and wall thickness were significantly different (p less than 0.001) from those in comparable controls. Forty-five percent of the patients in the at-risk group, with cervical cerclage, delivered at 37.3 (range: 32 to 41) weeks and 6.25% of pregnancies ended in abortion when the amniotic membrane herniated into the cervical canal, with or without some part of the fetus.

Relation of cervical length at 22-24 weeks of gestation to demographic characteristics and obstetric history

“…The present study has demonstrated that the mean cervical length of 37 mm was similar to that of other studies that measured cervical length at 20-24 weeks in low-risk populations in different settings (Table 6) (2,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

A blueprint for the prevention of preterm birth: vaginal progesterone in women with a short cervix

“…43–51 Andersen et al, in 1990, published a seminal observation in which 113 patients were evaluated with digital examination of the cervix, as well as transabdominal and transvaginal sonographically-determined cervical length. 52 Cervical length determined by transvaginal (but not transabdominal) ultrasound was predictive of preterm delivery.…”

Cervical length at 22–24 weeks of gestation: comparison of transvaginal and transperineal‐translabial ultrasonography

“…Cervical assessment can also be carried out by transabdominal and transperineal sonography and these alternative routes may be more acceptable to some women. However, transabdominal sonography fails to visualize the cervix in a high proportion of cases and in particular those with a short cervix [3][4][5][6] . Furthermore, successful visualization by transabdominal sonography requires a full bladder which falsely increases cervical length.…”