RESUMO
Background: preterm labor is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality and it might be predicted by assessing the cervical change
Objective: to assess the association between absences of cervical gland area [CGA] and spontaneous preterm labor [SPTL]
Materials and Methods: this prospective cohort study was performed on 200 singleton pregnant women with a history of SPTL, second-trimester abortion in the previous pregnancy or lower abdominal pain in current pregnancy. Each patient underwent one transvaginal ultrasound examination between 14-28 wk of gestation. Cervical length was measured and CGA was identified and their relationship with SPTL before 35 and 37 wk gestation was evaluated using STATA software version 10
Results: the mean of cervical length was 36.5 mm [SD=8.4], the shortest measurement was 9 mm, and the longest one was 61 mm. Short cervical length [
Conclusion: our study showed that cervical gland area might be an important predictor of SPTL which should be confirmed with further researches