Abstract
Objective
The anthropometric characteristics of the uterus evolve with pubertal development
in girls. It is therefore permissible to ask until these anthropometric characteristics
change, in order to know if the cervical length criterion defined for preterm delivery
threats is applicable to all ages. The main objective of our study was to analyze
the evolution of cervical length with the women’s age outside pregnancy to overcome
factors related to pregnancy that can affect cervical length.
Material and methods
This retrospective descriptive study over a period of 1 year from March 2017 to March
2018. The cervical length measurements were performed by Magnetic Resonnance Imaging.
The cervical length was defined by sagittal T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) as the distance on a straight line between the external cervical os (at the
point of divergence of the anterior and posterior lips) and the internal cervical
os identified by an intersection between the line of the hypersignal of the glandular
epithelium and a line passing through the isthmus.
Results
A total of 209 patients were included. The cervical length ranged from 25.2 mm on
average in children under 16 years (23.6-27.1 mm) to 39.7 mm between 36 and 40 years
(27.9 -58.9 mm). There was a linear association between age and cervical length, irrespective
of maternal anthropometric data (Pearson’s coefficient ρ = 0.43, 95% CI 0.32-0.54
(p < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, the only factors associated with cervical length
were women’s age (p < 0.01) and the prior delivery (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
The cervical length is correlated with women age and the prior delivery.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 25, 2020
Accepted:
September 4,
2020
Received in revised form:
September 1,
2020
Received:
May 26,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
