Association between the timing of cervical cerclage placement and postoperative outcomes: A retrospective study

PurposeTo explore the association between the timing of cervical cerclage placement and postoperative outcomes.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed postoperative outcomes in pregnant women who underwent cervical cerclage at our hospital between January 2020 and December 2023. Participants were divided into nonterm and term birth groups.ResultsCompared with the term birth group, the nonterm birth group had significantly shorter cervical length (10.02 ± 8.17 vs. 23.40 ± 10.93 mm; p < 0.001), wider cervical orifice width (7.50 ± 10.71 vs. 1.12 ± 4.79 mm; p < 0.001), longer duration of postoperative hospitalization (29.53 ± 22.76 vs. 18.12 ± 21.26 days; p < 0.001), longer administration period of tocolytics (28.13 ± 22.26 vs. 16.15 ± 21.30 days; p < 0.001), lower neonatal birth age (33.07 ± 3.27 vs. 38.32 ± 0.95 weeks; p < 0.001), lower neonatal birth weight (2081.40 ± 641.36 vs. 3266.30 ± 352.76 g; p < 0.001), and lower Apgar score at 1 minute (10 (3-10) vs. 10 (3-10); p < 0.001). Cervical length showed higher sensitivity in determining the timing of cervical cerclage placement (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.830 vs. 0.669), with a cutoff value of 17 mm (sensitivity: 83.33%, specificity: 71.43%).ConclusionCervical cerclage may be beneficial in asymptomatic pregnancies where the cervical length is ≤17 mm or the cervix is undilated.