Choice of suture material for emergency cervical cerclage: braided or monofilament suture? A retrospective case-control study

Objective:This study compared the effects of two different suture materials, namely braided or monofilament sutures, on pregnancy outcomes during emergency cervical cerclage. Design:Clinical data on women who underwent emergency cervical cerclage in two hospitals from January 2016 to December 2024, and related data on newborns were categorized according to suture material. Setting:The primary outcome indicator was pregnancy loss. The secondary outcome indicators included gestational age at delivery, days of prolonged gestation, complications related to cerclage, and neonatal morbidity. Population or Sample:384 women were enrolled in this study. Among them, 195 (50.78%) received monofilament sutures for transvaginal cervical cerclage, while the remaining 189 (49.22%) received braided sutures. Methods:The χ 2 test or Fisher's exact test was performed for categorical data, whereas the Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed for non-normally distributed continuous data. Main Outcome Measure:Pregnancy loss. Results:A significant difference in the rate of pregnancy loss was observed between the two groups (P < 0.05). The braided suture group exhibited longer gestational intervals [87 (65, 106) vs 79 (38, 99), P=0.006] and higher gestational age at delivery [37.14 (33.29, 38.71) vs 35.71 (28.5, 38), P< 0.001]. The braided suture group demonstrated a higher rate of full-term delivery [101 (53.44%) vs 79 (40.51%), P=0.015]. Conclusions:The use of woven suture material for emergency cervical cerclage may result in lower rates of pregnancy loss and neonatal complications and significantly prolong the birth interval.