Diagnostic accuracy of posterior cervical angle and cervical length in the prediction of successful induction of labor.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of the posterior cervical angle (PCA) compared with the cervical length and the Bishop score in predicting the outcome of induction of labor (IOL). METHODS: The present prospective observational study included IOL candidates who had their PCA and cervical length assessed by transvaginal ultrasonography and the Bishop score at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, between April 1 and July 31, 2017. The accuracy of these tests in predicting successful IOL (defined as vaginal delivery) was compared. RESULTS: The analysis included 49 women with successful IOL and 21 women with unsuccessful IOL. The suggested cutoffs for the prediction of successful IOL were a PCA of more than 99.5°, a cervical length of less than 34 mm, and a Bishop score of more than five. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves for these three measures were not significantly different. However, a PCA of more than 99.5° had the best sensitivity (91.84%), specificity (90.48), positive predictive value (95.7%), negative predictive value (82.6%), positive likelihood ratio (9.64), and negative likelihood ratio (0.09) compared with the other two predictors. CONCLUSION: A PCA of more than 99.5° yielded the best accuracy in predicting successful IOL compared with the cervical length and the Bishop score. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT03113227.

Diclofenac plus lidocaine gel for pain relief during intrauterine device insertion. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of diclofenac potassium combined with 2% lidocaine gel in reducing the pain of intrauterine device (IUD) insertion. STUDY DESIGN: We randomized 90 parous women requesting copper T380A IUD insertion in a 1:1 ratio to active or placebo treatment. Active treatment included administration of two 50-mg diclofenac potassium tablets 1h before IUD insertion, application of 3mL of 2% lidocaine gel on the anterior cervical lip 3min before IUD insertion and placement of a cotton swab soaked in 2% lidocaine gel in the cervical canal 3min before IUD insertion. Women in the placebo group received placebo tablets and gel. Participants assessed pain intensity using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). We considered a 2-cm difference in VAS pain score between both groups during IUD insertion to be a clinically significant difference. RESULTS: Subjects receiving active treatment, as compared to placebo, experienced less pain during tenaculum placement (1.66±0.85 vs. 2.33±1.19, p=.003) and IUD insertion (3.14±0.92 vs. 3.94±1.3, p=.001). Women who delivered only by cesarean section had higher pain scores with IUD insertion compared with women with previous vaginal deliveries (4.41±1.24 vs. 3.29±1.05, p=.001). CONCLUSION: Diclofenac potassium combined with 2% lidocaine gel slightly reduced pain scores during tenaculum application and copper IUD insertion in parous women; however, the reduction in pain scores lacked clinical significance. IMPLICATIONS: Although we found a statistically significant lowering of pain scores with pretreatment with diclofenac potassium and lidocaine gel in parous women having copper IUD placement, the reduction is not clinically relevant. These findings may be more relevant for nulliparous women who experience more pain than parous women with IUD insertion and support studies of diclofenac potassium and lidocaine gel in this population.