The Length of the Cervix and the Risk of Spontaneous Premature Delivery
Authors
Discussion
Loading...
Member takes
Implication
Prospective cohort study demonstrates increased spontaneous preterm delivery risk with shorter cervical length in singleton pregnancies, indicating cervical sonography helps identify high-risk cases.
Key Points
- To evaluate the relationship between cervical length measured by transvaginal ultrasound during the second trimester and the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery.
- Conducted a prospective, multicenter study across 10 university-affiliated prenatal clinics in women with singleton pregnancies.
- Performed vaginal ultrasonography to measure cervical length at approximately 24 weeks of gestation (N=2,915) and again at 28 weeks (N=2,531).
- Recorded the incidence of spontaneous preterm delivery occurring prior to 35 weeks' gestation.
- Spontaneous preterm delivery before 35 weeks occurred in 126 of the 2,915 women (4.3%) examined at 24 weeks.
- Cervical length was normally distributed at 24 weeks (mean 35.2 ± 8.3 mm) and 28 weeks (mean 33.7 ± 8.5 mm), with risk of premature birth rising as length shortened.
- At 24 weeks, relative risk of spontaneous preterm delivery increased from 1.98 at ≤75th percentile (40 mm; P=0.008) to 13.99 at ≤1st percentile (13 mm; P<0.001); at 28 weeks, relative risk reached 24.94 at ≤1st percentile.
Cite This Study
Iams et al. (1996) studied this question.