Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes Following Elective and Emergency Cervical Cerclage

A recent study aimed to compare the outcomes of emergency and elective cervical cerclage in singleton and twin pregnancies – over five years at a tertiary care perinatal center.

This was a retrospective study that recruited pregnant women who had undergone cervical cerclage from 2014-2019. Maternal and perinatal outcomes and complications were compared. 

Overall, 129 women were enrolled – 48 in the emergency and 81 in the elective group. The elective group had a higher proportion of multiparous women, while the emergency group had more twins. It was observed that the mean cervical length at cerclage was significantly different between the groups. Although the gestational age at delivery was similar, more women in the elective group reached or exceeded 34 weeks. Meanwhile, preterm labor leading to preterm births was almost twice as common in the emergency group.

On the contrary, the maternal chorioamnionitis rates were comparable. Both groups ' live birth rates and failure rates were similar, including subgroup analysis in singleton pregnancies. However, composite neonatal morbidity was higher in the emergency cerclage group.

Although live birth and failure rates were comparable between elective and emergency cerclage, neonatal morbidity was higher in the emergency cerclage group. Maternal chorioamnionitis rates and overall live birth rates were similar in both groups.

Source: Kumari P, Kumar M, Joseph T, Kumari M, Yadav B, Beck MM. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India. 2023 Oct 31:1-9.