Role of Trans-vaginal Strain Elastography in The Assessment of Cervical Incompetence in Early Pregnancy | ||||
| Medicine Updates | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 24 June 2025 PDF (1.14 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/muj.2025.391445.1228 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Carmen Ali Zarad  1; Mohamed Ahmed Hashem2; D. mohamed Hafez Younis3; Ahmed Kassem1
| ||||
| 1Diagnostic and interventional radiology department, Faculty of Medicine Port Said University | ||||
| 2Diagnostic and interventional radiology department, Salhya Elgdida central hospital | ||||
| 3Obstetrics and gynecology, the faculty of medicine, port said university, port said, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Cervical incompetence, affecting 1 in 100 to 1 in 2000 pregnancies, causes second-trimester loss, preterm labor, and neonatal complications. It involves painless cervical dilation from structural or functional weakness and is diagnosed by obstetric history and ultrasound or physical exam findings. Aim: To investigate the role of transvaginal strain elastography in evaluating cervical incompetence in early pregnancy. Patients and methods: Prospective case-control research has been carried out at outpatient clinics of El-Salhya El-Gededa Central Hospital. The study included two groups: a study group of 25 pregnant females with a history of cervical incompetence, and a control group of 25 healthy pregnant females with no known risk factors, serving as a reference. Results: At a cutoff value of 0.16%, the anterior cervical lip strain showed 88% sensitivity and 84% specificity for diagnosing cervical incompetence, outperforming cervical length (cutoff 36.1 mm; sensitivity 76%, specificity 84%) and endocervical canal width (cutoff 5.87 mm; sensitivity 44%, specificity 76%), all with statistically significant differences. In univariate analysis, body mass index (BMI), gravidity, parity, anterior cervical lip strain ratio, cervical length, and endocervical canal width were significant predictors. However, multivariate analysis identified gravidity, anterior cervical lip strain ratio, and endocervical canal width as independent predictors of cervical incompetence. Conclusion: Transvaginal strain elastography is an efficient tool for early diagnosis of cervical incompetence, showing a softer anterior lip and higher sensitivity and specificity than cervical length or canal width. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Cervical incompetence; Transvaginal strain elastography; Early pregnancy; Diagnostic accuracy | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 47 PDF Download: 27 |
||||
