ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a new sonographic cervical findings [absence of cervical gland area] in midgestation gestation could predict spontaneous preterm birth. Between September 2002 to July 2003, 83 patients were involved in this study and were classified into 2 groups [a study group included 58 women at risk of preterm labor and a control group that included 25 women not at risk of preterm labor]. Transvaginal ultr and sonography was done to detect cervical length, cervical diameter and cervical gland area [CGA] at gestational age between 24 and 32 weeks. The primary outcome was preterm birth at < 37 weeks of gestation. Eighty-three pregnancies met the study criteria and were included in the analysis. The mean transvaginal sonographic cervical length was 28.69 +/- 4.03 mm in pregnancies which delivered <37 weeks [n = 42], and 34.85 +/- 3.73 mm in those delivering at term [n =41] [P < 0.05]. The mean transvaginal sonographic cervical diameter was 7.17 +/- 7.56 mm in pregnancies which delivered <37 weeks [n = 42], and 5.56 +/- 1.23 mm in those delivering at term [n = 41] [P < 0.05]. Cervical Gland Area [CGA] was absent in 80.95% [34/42] of pregnancies which delivered <37 weeks while it was present in all pregnancies which delivered at term [P < 0.05]. All variables tested [cervical length, cervical diameter, and CQA] were independent risk for a spontaneous onset of labor <37 weeks in both univariate and multivariate analysis. The absence of cervical gland area [CGA] is a novel and useful sonographic parameter for predicting spontaneous preterm birth