Abstract :
Background: The objective of this study was to measure the cervical length by transvaginal sonography at
term to predict onset and course of spontaneous labor.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and nighty nine pregnant women between 37 to 40 weeks of
gestation who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this prospective observational study conducted
in department of obstetrics and gynecology of IGGMC, NAGPUR.
Results: Out of 199 pregnant women, 154 women had full term vaginal delivery and 45 women underwent
emergency cesarean section. The mean cervical length was 2.58cm in women who had vaginal birth and
was 3.45cm in women who underwent emergency cesarean section. The best cutoff of transvaginal cervical
length was 2.7cm for predicting the spontaneous onset of labor within 7 days, having sensitivity of 90.91%
and specificity of 84%.The positive predictive value was 84.9% and negative predictive value of test 90.3%,
with diagnostic accuracy of 87.4%.
Conclusions: When cervical length is less, then chances of vaginal delivery are significantly higher.
Transvaginal cervical length measurement between 37 to 40 weeks is useful test for predicting spontaneous
onset of labor within 7 days. It helps women and healthcare providers to plan vaginal birth and also timely
decision of referral of those cases requiring immediate care to higher centres for better maternal and foetal
outcome.
Keyword :
Transvaginal cervical length, Spontaneous onset of labor.