Effectiveness of elective cervical cerclage according to obstetric history

Effectiveness and perinatal outcomes of history-indicated, ultrasound-indicated and physical examination-indicated cerclage: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness and perinatal outcomes of cerclage procedure according to indication.

METHODS

The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of the patients who underwent cerclage with the diagnosis of cervical insufficiency between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into three groups: a history-indicated group, an ultrasound-indicated group and a physical examination-indicated group.

RESULTS

Seventy-three patients who underwent cerclage were included in the study. Of these, 41 (56.2%) had history-indicated, 17 (23.3%) had ultrasound-indicated and 15 (20.5%) had physical examination-indicated cerclages. Compared to history- and ultrasound-indicated cerclage group, duration from cerclage to delivery (18.6 ± 6.9 weeks vs 17.8±5.9 weeks vs 11 ± 5.3 weeks, p = 0.003) was significantly lower and delivery < 28 weeks (9.8% vs 5.9% vs 33.3%, p = 0.042) and delivery < 34 weeks of gestation (26.8% vs 11.8% vs 60%, p = 0.009) were significantly higher in physical examination-indicated cerclage group. In physical examination-indicated cerclage, compared with history- and ultrasound-indicated cerclage low birth weight, low APGAR score, neonatal intensive care unit admission and neonatal mortality were higher, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women who underwent physical examination-indicated cerclage had higher risks for preterm delivery < 28 weeks and < 34 weeks than history- and ultrasound-indicated cerclage.

Removal of laparoscopic cerclage stitches via laparotomy and rivanol-induced labour: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cervical cerclage is performed for patients with abnormal cervical anatomy and/or transvaginal cervical cerclage failure. However, the method of removing the stitches to allow labour induction remains controversial. According to published literature, stitches are removed through laparoscopic or transvaginal methods. Herein, we report, for the first time, a case of a patient who had undergone laparoscopic cerclage, and then underwent removal of stitches by laparotomy and labour induction in the third trimester of pregnancy.

CASE SUMMARY

A patient who underwent laparoscopic cervical cerclage due to cervical insufficiency became pregnant naturally following the operation. At 31 wk of pregnancy, severe foetal malformations were found. To successfully induce labour, cerclage stitches were removed via laparotomy, and rivanol was injected directly into the uterus. Following successful induction of labour, the patient delivered a dead foetus.

CONCLUSION

This report provides a reliable scheme of removing cerclage stitches for patients who have undergone laparoscopic cerclage but experience severe foetal malformations.

Pregnancy outcomes and superiorities of prophylactic cervical cerclage and therapeutic cervical cerclage in cervical insufficiency pregnant women

PURPOSE

To compare the clinical effect of prophylactic cervical cerclage and therapeutic cervical cerclage on pregnancy outcome and operative factors in cervical insufficiency pregnant women.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted between June 2014 and September 2016 in a maternity ward, which included women who have had a single pregnancy and have been carried out a McDonald cerclage. All maternal medical records were reviewed. The efficacy of cerclage for preventing late foetal loss was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The results showed that there were significant associations between cerclage operations and pregnancy outcomes in the duration of pregnancy prolongation in terms of live births, gestation age, live birth and cesarean section rate. In prophylactic cervical cerclage, compared with therapeutic cervical cerclage, cervical length before surgery was significantly longer (32.7 ± 5.8 vs 19.9 ± 7.3 mm, p < 0.0001). Mean operative duration and postoperative length of hospital stay in prophylactic cervical cerclage were shorter than those in therapeutic cervical cerclage (22.1 ± 10.3 vs 28.9 ± 13.0 min, p = 0.0241 and 5.6 ± 1.8 vs 7.0 ± 2.8 days, p = 0.0354), respectively. Compared with therapeutic cerclage, prophylactic cerclage had more advantages in gestational age at delivery (35.2 ± 5.5 and 31.7 ± 6.5 weeks, p = 0.0061), deliveries < 37 gestational weeks (40 vs 69.2%, p = 0.0159), live births (93.3 vs 69.2%, p = 0.0143) and the duration of pregnancy prolongation in terms of live births (19.5 ± 5.0 vs 12.0 ± 8.2 weeks, p = 0.0002). There was a higher cesarean section rate in prophylactic group than that in therapeutic group (50 vs 25.6%, p = 0.0383). The logistic analysis showed that the cervical length before surgery was the only independent prognostic factor [OR 2.860 (1.425, 5.742) p = 0.0031] for pregnancy outcome, and that is the cervical length before surgery affected late foetal loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that, both prophylactic cervical cerclage and therapeutic cervical cerclage reduce the incidence of recurrent abortion or preterm birth and efficiently extend the length of the pregnancy with live births. The prophylactic cervical cerclage has more advantages in operative time, length of hospital stay after surgery, gestational age at delivery, live births and preterm birth. The length of the cervical before surgery is an independent risk factor for pregnancy outcomes when pregnant women appear in the cervical shortening is less than normal. Cervical cerclage is an effective surgical technique to prevent recurrent abortion or late foetal loss.