Background: Preterm birth is one of the most important obstetric problems. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), preterm delivery accounts for 70% of early neonatal deaths and 25–50% of infant deaths aged less than one year. Data from several studies suggest that preterm labor can be predicted by assessing cervical conditions such as cervical length (CL), and fetal fibronectin.
Objectives: The goal of the current study was to evaluate and contrast the uterocervical angle and cervical length as early preterm delivery predictors for delivery in patients with uterine contractions.
Patients and methods: An upcoming observational cohort study performed on 70 pregnant women who were between 28 and 37 (31.5 ± 2.7) weeks of gestation at risk of preterm labor. The mean cervical length was 36.8 ± 10.8 mm and the mean uterocervical angle was 100.7 ± 26.1 degree. While, the study excluded patients accompanied by placenta previa or any diseases involving contact bleeding, such as endocervical polyp, infection, or bleeding disorders.
Result: The most common risk factor in the studied group was polyhydramnios and previous history of preterm labor respectively. We found that the cut-off points of cervical length and uterocervical angle were < 35.5 mm and ≥105 degree respectively. The study showed that cervical length was superior to utero-cervical angle in the impending preterm birth prediction labor.
Conclusion: When preterm labor is imminent, both the utero-cervical angle and the cervical length can be measured as helpful tools for forecasting preterm birth.