Cervical encerclage--a stitch in time: analysis of 23 cases

Cervical incompetency has been recognized as a cause of repeated reproductive loss. Currently many surgeons cast doubt on the existence of cervical insufficiency and the efficiency of encerclage to salvage the situation. Over a period of 3 years we did cervical encerclage for 23 patients with recurrent pregnancy loss in whom all other causes were ruled out. Twenty-one patients benefitted by the procedure, only one ended in missed abortion and one patient had preterm delivery with early neonatal loss. We had a fetal salvage of 91.3%. Birth weights of the babies were above 2500 g in 65.2%. In our experience, with proper selection, patients benefitted from encerclage performed at the appropriate time.