Obstetric and neonatal outcomes of delayed interval delivery in cerclage: A retrospective study

Delayed interval delivery and survivability of the second twin with and without emergency cerclage in dichorionic diamniotic pregnancy. A systematic review

BACKGROUND

There are no systematic reviews analyzing cervical cerclage's role in improving the perinatal outcome of the second twin in dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) pregnancies following a second trimester or very early preterm birth of the first twin.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on delaying the delivery of the second twin after the delivery of the first twin in DCDA twin pregnancies. The secondary objective was to analyze the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on the perinatal outcome of the second twin in DCDA pregnancies compared to the non-cerclage group.

METHODS

A literature search was performed using PubMed, Medline databases, and the Cochrane Library. The studies selected were limited to human subjects and published online by December 2023. Two sets of results in this systematic review are described; the first set includes the outcomes of pregnancies with a DCDA twin pregnancy from the cohort of case series. The meta-analysis was performed for the cohort, and a combined narrative report was provided for the second set of results for the case reports.

RESULTS

A literature search resulted in 27 case series and 36 case reports. The case series analysis demonstrated that the mean gestation age of twin 2 at delivery with cervical cerclage (27.5 weeks) compared to those without cervical cerclage (24.4 weeks) was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, analysis of the case series showed that twin 2 with cerclage had a statistically significant increase in latency period (days 44.7 vs 23.67) and birth weight (grams 3320 vs 2460) compared to the group without cerclage (p = -value was 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). It is difficult to draw any significant conclusion with complications of cervical cerclage; however, there were slightly more chorioamnionitis and respiratory distress syndrome in the cerclage group. The case report analysis showed no significant difference with or without cervical cerclage.

CONCLUSIONS

From this review, it can be concluded that in DCDA twin pregnancies, cervical cerclage insertion after the extremely premature delivery or miscarriage of twin 1 may increase the gestational age at delivery, prolong the delivery interval, and increase the birth weight of twin 2. However, a large prospective multicenter randomized control trial should be performed to assess the benefit of cervical cerclage in DCDA twins to improve the delivery interval latency period and perinatal outcome of twin 2 after the delivery of twin 1.

[Delayed-Interval Delivery of an Extremely Preterm Twin after Abort of the First Twin and Emergency Total Cervical Occlusion at 19+1 Weeks of Gestation - a Case Report]

We report on the obstetric and neonatal course of a 34-year-old woman pregnant with twins, who presented at our clinic at 16+1 weeks of gestation with preterm premature rupture of membranes. We started intravenous antibiotic therapy with inpatient monitoring owing to the vitality and regular development of both twins, with anhydramnios in the leading twin. After a missed abortion of the leading twin at 19+1 weeks of gestation we decided on surgical intervention with assisted delivery of the aborted twin, leaving the placenta in situ with subsequent emergency total cervical occlusion. Afterwards, the single pregnancy could be continued until the 24th week of gestation. An urgent Caesarean section for early labor, premature rupture of membranes, and increasing signs of maternal infection was later performed. Overall, the postnatal course of the extremely preterm neonate was a success considering the gestational age. We conclude that the option of surgical interventions should be taken into account in similar cases in the future.

Cerclage placement in twin pregnancies with cervical dilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Existing guidelines and studies on the benefits of cerclage in twin pregnancies with a dilated cervix have low reliability and inconsistent conclusions. New randomized control trials and cohort studies focusing on twin pregnancies with cervical insufficiency were published recently. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to compare outcomes of cerclage placement and expectant treatment in twin pregnancies with a dilated cervix using recent data.

METHODS

We screened the PubMed, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Library databases to identify randomized controlled trials and cohort studies comparing maternal and perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies with cervical dilation, with and without cerclage placement, published until December 2020. Estimates were pooled using random-effects or fixed-effect models depending on the heterogeneity. Mean difference, 95% confidence interval, and relative risk were used to compare the outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analyses followed the guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standard and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines for systematic reviews of observational studies.

RESULTS

Five studies, comprising 275 twin pregnancies, met the inclusion criteria; of those, 167 underwent cerclage and 108 were expectantly managed. Cerclage placement significantly prolonged the interval from the time of diagnosis to delivery and reduced the incidence of preterm delivery, perinatal death, and complications. The fetal outcomes improved significantly in cases managed with cerclage.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, emergent cerclage is a potential option for managing twin pregnancies with cervical dilation of at least 1 cm.