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Use of shear wave elastography on the maternal cervix to recognise cervical insufficiency using a transabdominal ultrasound approach
Author(s) -
O’Hara Sandra,
Zelesco Marilyn,
Sun Zhonghua
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australasian journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2205-0140
pISSN - 1836-6864
DOI - 10.1002/ajum.12236
Subject(s) - medicine , cervix , cervical insufficiency , ultrasound , elastography , obstetrics , pregnancy , fetus , second trimester , third trimester , radiology , genetics , cancer , biology
The ramifications of preterm birth on society and the role of cervical length in identifying cervical insufficiency are well known. The main goal of this work was to apply shear wave elastography to the maternal cervix to assess the stiffness of the cervix and identify cervical insufficiency, using a transabdominal ultrasound approach. Methods Measurements of shear wave speed were obtained using a transabdominal ultrasound approach, at the anterior and posterior portions of the internal and external cervical os on 504 participants. A total of 455 participants were contacted following the expected date of birth of the fetus and birth details were obtained. Results The anterior and posterior portions of the internal os showed a significant correlation between shear wave speed and time until delivery of the fetus for women who gave birth spontaneously, with R 2 Linear being 0.024 (P = 0.012) and 0.017 (P = 0.05) respectively, and these correlations increased for the group of participants that were scanned between the 18th and end of the 20th week of pregnancy to R 2 Linear = 0.043 (P = 0.001) and 0.021 (P = 0.040) respectively. A ratio of internal os/external os anteriorly also showed a correlation of R 2 Linear = 0.030 (P = 0.009). Conclusion A transabdominal ultrasound technique has identified a reduction in shear wave speeds at the internal os in the mid‐trimester, in women who had a subsequent preterm birth.