Cervical consistency index in the detection of the risk of spontaneous preterm labor

Abstract

Objective: To use the cervical consistency index in the detection of spontaneous preterm birth, in patients of the high-risk obstetric, perinatology and maternal-fetal medicine clinic, of the Dr. Luis Razetti University Hospital, in Barcelona, Anzoátegui state. Methods: A non-probabilistic sample was collected, represented by 125 intentional patients with a single pregnancy, without discriminating gestational age or parity, excluding a patient with risk factors for preterm birth, the cervical consistency index and cervical length were measured by ultrasound. Results: The average maternal age was 27.4 ± 7.3 years. The average body mass index was 24.3 ± 4.6 kg/m2; This measure has less discriminatory power for predicting preterm birth with an area under the curve: 0.356 (95% CI = 0.208-0.505; p = 0.066), followed by the cervical consistency index with area under the curve: 0.415 (95% CI = 0.274-0.557; p = 0.279). The largest area under the curve was for cervical length: 0.549 (95% CI = 0.416-0.683; p = 0.527). Conclusions: As the weeks of gestation elapse, the cervical consistency index decreases, due to a physiological softening that occurs at the level of the uterine cervix, and may represent an interesting tool in the risk assessment for preterm delivery.