title: Quantitative elastography for cervical stiffness assessment during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Feasibility and reliability of tissue Doppler imaging-(TDI-) based elastography for cervical quantitative stiffness assessment during all three trimesters of pregnancy were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case-control study including seventy-four patients collected between the 12th and 42nd weeks of gestation. The tissue strain (TS) was measured by two independent operators as natural strain. Intra- and interoperator intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) agreements were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TS measurement was always feasible and exhibited a high performance in terms of reliability (intraoperator ICC-agreement=0.93; interoperator ICC agreement=0.89 and 0.93 for a single measurement and for the average of two measurements, resp.). Cervical TS showed also a significant correlation with gestational age, cervical length, and parity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TS measurement during pregnancy demonstrated high feasibility and reliability. Furthermore, TS significantly correlated with gestational age, cervical length, and parity.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mathias-Spital Rheine, Frankenburgstraße 31, 48431 Rheine, Germany ; Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Franziskus Hospital, Hohenzollernring 72, 48145 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fruscalzo
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Udine, University of Udine, P.le S. M. Della Misericordia 1, 35100 Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Londero
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mathias-Spital Rheine, Frankenburgstraße 31, 48431 Rheine, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fröhlich
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Möllmann
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmitz
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*
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