The clinical significance of cervical tears' anatomical location - A retrospective study

Up to 4.8% of all vaginal deliveries are complicated by significant cervical tears related to maternal compromise, yet the location of the cervical tear and its impact on the attributed risk have not been studied to date. This study aimed to determine the associations between the location and characteristics of cervical tears with short-term maternal complications and outcomes.

This is a retrospective cohort study. Included were all patients that delivered vaginally at our institute between the years 2009-2020 and were diagnosed with a cervical tear. Maternal complications were compared between cases with posterior cervical tears and cases with anterior or lateral cervical tears. Exclusion criteria included patients who delivered by cesarean delivery and preterm labor below 37.0 weeks of gestation.

Overall, 96 patients were diagnosed with posterior cervical tears, while 117 patients were diagnosed with anterior or lateral tears. Maternal demographics and pregnancy characteristics were similar between the groups. There were also no differences in delivery outcomes between the groups. Patients with posterior cervical tears had a higher rate of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (6.25 % vs. 0.9 %, p = 0.04) and prolonged hospitalization (35.4 % vs. 23.1 %, p = 0.05), as compared to patients with anterior or lateral tears. There were no differences in other maternal complications.

Cases of posterior cervical tears are at higher risk for maternal adverse outcomes (DIC and prolonged hospitalization), as compared to cases of anterior or lateral tears.