[Cervical clefts as a possible etiologic factor in sterility]

Follow-up gynecological and colposcopic examinations performed in 81 patients after the puerperium have shown that out of 15 sutured ruptures only 9 (60%) healed. The follow-up colposcopic examination revealed 19 unstitched clefts of which 13 did not heal and 6 healed leaving a scar (31.5%). The ectopy of the cervical mucosa was found 5 times (33.3) in the group of stitched clefts and 8 times (47.3%) in the group of unstitched clefts, among which there was also leukoplakia in one case. In the group without the injury of the cervix, ectopia was observed in 11 cases (23.4%). In the course of 1979, at the Gynecology Department, cerclage was performed 474 times. Out of these cases, 20 women (4.2%) underwent cerclage owing to the cleft of the uterine cervix and previous spontaneous abortions. The authors recommend a careful surgical treatment of the cleft and consider the revision of the cervix after each delivery absolutely necessary, both these measures being meant to serve as prevention against sterility and infertility.