Ultrasonographic cervical length assessment is increasingly being utilized clinically to identify women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery. In a randomised prospective longitudinal study involving 200 women, we measured cervical length and internal os diameter by transvaginal scan at 20 - 24 weeks and analysed their ability to predict preterm birth. The risk of spontaneous preterm delivery increased steeply as cervical length decreased. At cut off value of < or = 2.5cm, the cervical length measurements had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 77%, 95%, 56% and 98% respectively. However, internal os diameter lacked sensitivity and specificity. Our data suggests that the duration of pregnancy is directly related to length of the cervix: the shorter the cervix, the greater the chance of preterm delivery.
Following labour induction at term, 12 percent of neonates can expected to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. We aimed to evaluate the Bishop score, pre-induction ultrasonography (US) assessment of amniotic fluid, foetal weight and cervical length, and pre-induction and intrapartum risk factors as predictors of neonatal admission.
This prospective observational study was to evaluate the efficacy of combining phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (phIGFBP-1) and transvaginal ultrasound cervical length (CL) compared with either indicator alone in predicting pre-term labour (PTL). Women with singleton pregnancy between 24 and 36 weeks' gestation with evidence of PTL were subjected to phIGFBP-1 and CL tests. Of the 51 women, five were tested positive (phIGFBP-1 positive and CL <2.5 cm) for combination of phIGFBP-1 and CL (four delivered within 1 week), whereas 46 tested negative, of which, only one delivered. A much higher negative predictivity (NP), positive predictivity (PP) and specificity (SP) in the combination test was seen compared with phIGFBP-1 or CL alone (NP: 97.8% vs 97.7% vs 97.1%; PP: 80.0% vs 51.1% and CL 23.5%; SP: 97.8% vs 93.5% vs 71.1%, respectively). The cervical os dilatation of 2 cm with combined positive test (p = 0.001) indicated a higher likelihood of PTL.
To compare transvaginal sonography for cervical length measurement and digital examination for Bishop score assessment in women undergoing labor induction at term, to assess their tolerability (in terms of pain) and ability to predict need for Cesarean delivery.