The risk of impending preterm delivery in asymptomatic patients with a nonmeasurable cervical length in the second trimester.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the pregnancy outcome of asymptomatic patients in the second trimester with a nonmeasurable cervical length (0 mm).


METHODS
This retrospective cohort study included 78 patients with singleton pregnancies and a sonographic nonmeasurable cervix that was detected at 14-28 weeks of gestation. Patients with cervical cerclage were excluded.


RESULTS
We found that (1) 75.3% of the patients delivered before 32 weeks of gestation; (2) the median diagnosis-to-delivery interval was 20.5 days, and the delivery rate within 7 and 14 days was 28.2% and 35.6%, respectively; and (3) patients with a nonmeasurable cervix that was diagnosed at <24 weeks of gestation had a shorter median diagnosis-to-delivery interval than patients who were diagnosed at 24-28 weeks of gestation (17.5 vs 41 days; P = .009).


CONCLUSIONS
Asymptomatic women with a nonmeasurable cervix in the second trimester have a median diagnosis-to-delivery interval of approximately 3 weeks. Almost 65% of these patients will not deliver within 2 weeks, yet 75% of them will deliver before 32 weeks of gestation. The earlier a nonmeasurable cervix is identified, the shorter the diagnosis-to-delivery interval.
Vaisbuch
Edi
E
Perinatology Research Branch, Intramural Division, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/NIH/DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Romero
Roberto
R
Mazaki-Tovi
Shali
S
Erez
Offer
O
Kusanovic
Juan Pedro
JP
Mittal
Pooja
P
Gotsch
Francesca
F
Ward
Clara
C
Romero
Vivian
V
Chaiworapongsa
Tinnakorn
T
Pacora
Percy
P
Yeo
Lami
L
Hassan
Sonia S
SS
D000328:Adult; D054791:Cervical Length Measurement; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016015:Logistic Models; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal