Transabdominal evaluation of uterine cervical length during pregnancy fails to identify a substantial number of women with a short cervix.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the diagnostic performance of transabdominal sonographic measurement of cervical length in identifying patients with a short cervix.

Methods

Cervical length was measured in 220 pregnant women using transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound (US). Reproducibility and agreement between and within both methods were assessed. The diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal US for identifying cases with a cervical length <25 mm was evaluated.

Results

Twenty-one out of 220 cases (9.5%) had a cervical length <25 mm by transvaginal US. Only 43% (n = 9) of patients with a short cervix were correctly identified by transabdominal US. In patients with a cervical length of <25 mm by transvaginal US, transabdominal measurement of the cervix overestimated this paramete

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Andrade E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3422449 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature