Prediction of preterm birth: nonsonographic cervical methods

A short cervix in the second trimester is a powerful predictor of preterm birth risk. Multiple cervical length screens for patients in midpregnancy will likely become the standard of obstetrical care as a result of the development of effective methods (eg, cerclage, progesterone) to prevent early delivery in patients with a short cervix. Because of the high cost and infrastructure requirements, providing multiple cervical length evaluations through transvaginal ultrasound will likely be a significant barrier to universal screening. A cost-effective, low-technology method of cervical length screening is necessary to implement such programs. Available data suggest that digital examination is not sufficiently sensitive and reproducible to reliably screen for short cervix in presymptomatic patients in the mid trimester. New modalities for nonsonographic cervical length assessment (ie, Cervilenz) provide for a cost-effective, sensitive, and reproducible method of screening patients for short cervical length, which deserves further research in comparing its efficacy to sonographic cervical length.