The Role of Cervical Cerclage in Pregnancy Outcome in Women with Uterine Anomaly

BACKGROUND: Congenital uterine malformations are the result of disturbances in mullerian duct development. In patients with recurrent miscarriage, the reported frequency of uterine anomalies varies widely, from 1.8% to 37.6%. There are reports in which cervical cerclage has been shown to prevent preterm labor in uterine anomalies. The aim of this study was to compare the role of cervical cerclage in the pregnancy outcome of women with uterine anomaly. METHODS: In this historical cohort study, 40 pregnant women with uterine anomaly were investigated for outcomes of pregnancy in regards to preterm and term deliveries. The participants were divided into two groups: the case group included 26 women with uterine anomaly for whom cervical cerclage was done and the control group was composed of 14 women with uterine anomaly in whom cervical cerclage was not performed. Comparison between the two groups was done and the data were analyzed by the use of chi square, Fisher's exact test and t-test with SPSS software (version 11) and p <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: In patients with bicornuate uterus and cervical cerclage, term delivery occurred in 76.2% and preterm delivery in 23.8%. In patients with bicornuate uterus and without cervical cerclage, term delivery occurred in 27.3% and preterm delivery in 72.7% (p <0.05). In patients with arcuate uterus and cervical cerclage, term and preterm deliveries were equal (50% vs. 50%), but in patients with arcuate uterus and without cervical cerclage, term and preterm deliveries occurred in 66.6% and 33.3% of the participants, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cervical cerclage is an effective procedure in bicornuate uterus for the prevention of preterm deliveries but it has no effect on the outcome of pregnancy in arcuate uterus.