title: Congenital cervical atresia: report of seven cases and review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to evaluate the clinical course and management of congenital cervical atresia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective analysis included 7 patients referred to our clinic and a review of the medical literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Including this case series, 58 cases of congenital cervical atresia have been reported in the literature. Forty-eight percent of patients had isolated congenital cervical atresia with a normal vagina whereas the remainder had either complete or partial vaginal atresia ("shortened blind vaginal pouches"). Surgical management has included abdominal hysterectomy or uterovaginal cannulation with or without vaginoplasty. In 59% of patients who underwent uterovaginal canalization procedures (23/39), normal menstrual bleeding was achieved. Four of these patients subsequently became pregnant and were delivered at term.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical canalization in selected patients with congenital cervical atresia can be successfully performed to provide patients an opportunity for conservative management, resulting in normal menstrual bleeding, resolution of cyclic pelvic pain, and some potential (albeit limited) for fertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA.
authors.forename: V Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Soules
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D011247:Pregnancy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014599:Uterus; D014621:Vagina / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery