Publication:

Transvaginal sonographic cervical length during mid-trimester in predicting preterm labour in asymptomatic singleton pregnancies

Background Worldwide, preterm birth is the main contributor to perinatal mortality and morbidity. Preterm birth causes 50% of long-term morbidity, contributes 75% of neonatal deaths (after accounting for fatal abnormalities), and becomes 85% of newborn deaths. Cervical length measurement has been linked to predicting the preterm labour in mid-trimester by various studies.

Methods This study was carried out to evaluate the strength of cervical length as a predictive factor for pre-term labour. This is a prospective observational study conducted at MIMS, Vizianagaram on 100 antenatal mothers. The cervical length is measured by transvaginal ultrasound. If the length was 40 mm. The p value<0.05. Area under ROC curve is 0.79. Sensitivity is 60%, specificity is 8.75%, positive predictive value is 57.14%, negative predictive value is 89.87%.

Conclusions Transvaginal sonography is a reliable diagnostic test in mid-trimester in predicting pre-term delivery in singleton pregnancy.