Sonography Cervical Assessment in Multiple Pregnancy in Correlation with Gestational Age

摘要

Objective: Observe and correlate the cervical length by ultrasound and likelihood of cervical incompetence and premature delivery in multiple gestations. Materials and Methods: Retrospective study in multiple pregnancy (twin, triplet, quadruplet) delivered between 2002-2003, in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 68 multiple pregnancies underwent routine ultrasound for fetal assessment between 16 - 32 weeks when the cervix was observed. The sonographic measurements included cervix > 2.5 cm and - 20 weeks, 21 - 24 weeks, 25 - 26 weeks, 29 - 32 weeks and >32 weeks. The gestational age at delivery was our outcome parameter. The data was analyzed statistically using Fisher’s exact test and P-value below 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Endovaginal ultrasongoraphic cervical measurement in multiple pregnancies predicted increased preterm delivery risk regardless of maternal age, previous history of preterm deliveries or presence of vaginal infection. It was found that spontaneous preterm labor > 25 mm;this majority reached > 32 weeks while the patient who had cervix Conclusion: Cervical assessment during routine ultrasound in multiple gestations seems to be useful for prediction of preterm delivery and counseling the patient without risk factors regarding cervical cerclage. Because of restricted number of patients, we suggest further study with bigger sample and prospective trial for valued conclusions.