Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Preterm labour is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, so it is important to predict preterm delivery using the clinical examination of the cervix and uterine contraction frequency. New markers for the prediction of preterm birth have been developed such as transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length as this method is widely available.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine, whether transvaginal cervical length measurement predicts imminent preterm delivery better than digital cervical length measurement in women presented with preterm labour and intact membranes.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Two hundred women presented with preterm labour between 24 and 36+6 weeks of gestation were included in this study. All women subjected for digital and transvaginal ultrasound cervical length measurement and the outcome measures were occurrence of preterm delivery within 48 hours and within 7 days.
RESULTS:
Assessment of cervical length measurement using transvaginal ultrasound for the 200 women presented with preterm labour with intact membrane revealed that 8 (4%) delivered within 48 hours and 16 (8%) delivered within 7 days. According to the Bishop score, the test was positive if the Bishop score was ≥8, or 4-7 with cervical length ≤30 mm. The cut-off value for transvaginal ultrasound cervical length considered as 30 mm in the study group.
CONCLUSION:
Transvaginal sonographic measurement of cervical length can predict imminent preterm delivery in women presented with preterm uterine contractions and Bishop score between 4 - 7 compared with digital cervical length measurement.