OBJECTIVE: To identify which non-invasive infection indicators could better predict post-cervical cerclage (CC) infections, and on which days after CC infection indicators should be closely monitored.
METHODS: The retrospective, single-center study included 619 single-pregnancy patients from January 2021 to December 2022. Patients were categorized into infected and uninfected groups based on physicians\' judgments of post-CC infections. Registered information included patient characteristics, cervical insufficiency history, gestational age at CC, surgical method (McDonald/Shirodkar), purpose of CC, mid-pregnancy miscarriage/preterm birth, infection history or risk factors, and infection indices on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after CC. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce patient characteristic bias. Statistical analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil count (NEU), percentage of neutrophil count (NEU_P), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and procalcitonin (PCT) in the infected group compared with the uninfected group was performed using chi-square tests and t-tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to further assess the diagnostic value of CRP, PCT, and CRP-PCT in combination.
RESULTS: Among the 619 included patients, 206 patients were matched using PSM and subsequently assessed. PCT values on day 1 and day 3 after CC exhibited significant differences between the two groups in two statistical ways (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The CRP levels on day 1 were significantly higher in the infected group compared to the uninfected group in two statistical ways (P < 0.05). On day 3, the mean CRP value was significantly elevated in the infected group compared to the uninfected group (P < 0.05). Analyses of IL-6, WBC, NEU, and NEU_P did not yield clinically significant results. The area under the ROC curves for CRP, PCT, and CRP-PCT on day 1 and day 3 were all below 0.7. In the preventive CC group, the AUC values of CRP and CRP-PCT obtained on d1 were found to be higher than 0.7, indicating moderate diagnostic accuracy.
CONCLUSIONS: For women after CC surgery, especially of preventive aim, increased serum CRP and PCT levels from post-CC day 1 to day 3 may signal a potential postoperative infection, warranting close monitoring.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to investigate changes in the cervical strain rate (SR), cervical length (CL), and uterine artery blood flow parameters during early pregnancy in women with cervical insufficiency and evaluate the clinical efficacy of these markers for screening of cervical insufficiency in early pregnancy.
UNASSIGNED: This retrospective study in 60 pregnant women with cervical insufficiency and 100 normal pregnant women was conducted between September 2021 and January 2023 and measured ultrasound parameters of the cervix during early pregnancy. The cervical SR, CL, and uterine artery resistance index (RI) were measured in both groups at 11-14 weeks of gestation. Strain elastography represented by the SR was used to assess the hardness of the internal and external cervical openings.
UNASSIGNED: During early pregnancy, the SR at the internal and external cervical openings were significantly higher in the cervical insufficiency group than those in the normal pregnancy group (SR I: 0.19 ± 0.018% vs. 0.16 ± 0.014%; SR E: 0.26 ± 0.028% vs. 0.24 ± 0.025%; p < .001). The CL was significantly shorter in the cervical insufficiency group than that measured in the normal pregnancy group (34.3 ± 2.9 mm vs. 35.2 ± 1.99 mm; p = .036), while cervical blood perfusion was also poorer in the cervical insufficiency group than that in the normal pregnancy group (uterine artery RI: 0.76 ± 0.07 vs. 0.74 ± 0.05; p = .048). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal critical values for diagnosing cervical insufficiency were 0.17% for SR I, 0.25% for SR E, 33.8 mm for CL, and 0.78 for uterine artery RI. Of these parameters, the ROC curve for SR I had the largest area under the curve [AUC = 0.89 (p < .001)], with the highest sensitivity (78%) and specificity (82%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the SR at the internal cervical opening (OR 17.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.08-60.08; p < .001) and CL (OR 5.05, 95% CI 1.66-15.32; p = .004) still showed significant differences between the two groups.
UNASSIGNED: Cervical elastography is an effective tool for screening early pregnancy cervical insufficiency. The SR at the internal cervical opening is a valuable indicator for screening cervical insufficiency and has superior clinical efficacy for screening for this condition compared to that of CL and the uterine artery blood flow index.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the pregnancy outcomes of a case series of patients with probable cerclage failure who received repeat cerclage (RC) with potential indications.
METHODS: We retrospectively collected a case series of 55 singleton pregnancies with RC from 2019 to 2022 in Shanghai, China. All included women provided written informed consent, and the study was approved by the ethics committees of the two hospitals. We compared pregnancy outcomes between pregnancies with RC for different indications.
RESULTS: Among the case series, nine patients underwent RC for the indication of protruding membranes below the previous suture loop (group A), and the other 46 patients for painless cervix dilation (group B). Gestational age at delivery was shorter in group B than in group A (30.7 vs 37.6 weeks, P = 0.009). Rates of preterm birth <32 weeks (63.0% vs 22.2%, P = 0.033) and < 37 weeks (76.1% vs 33.3%, P = 0.002) were significantly higher in group B than in group A. Of the 46 patients who underwent RC for painless cervical dilation, 28 had cervical dilation of 1 to 2 cm (group C) and the other 18 had cervical dilation of 3 to 6 cm (group D). The gestational age at delivery was shorter in group D than in group C (27.4 vs 31.5 weeks, P = 0.037). However, rates of preterm birth <32 or <37 weeks were similar between the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: RC may constitute a rescue strategy for patients with probable cerclage failure. Protrusion of membranes below the cerclage loop or cervical dilation <3 cm may be an indicator of better pregnancy outcome.

This case report is on cervical spindle cell neoplasm and complications of its excision. A 34-year-old multiparous woman presented with a one-year history of mild to moderate non-radiating lower abdominal pain and a sensation of a mass in the vagina when urinating. These symptoms were associated with a recurrent foul-smelling yellow vaginal discharge which was unresponsive to antibiotic therapy prescribed at a primary healthcare clinic. Vaginal examination at a gynaecological clinic revealed a firm circular cervical mass. Excision biopsy of the mass (attached between the 1 and 3 o\'clock positions on the cervix) showed a benign spindle cell neoplasm. The patient became pregnant six months after the surgical excision and had a miscarriage at 18 weeks of gestation due to cervical insufficiency. The report highlights the importance of antenatal surveillance for women following surgical excision of a cervical lesion such as spindle cell neoplasm as they may be predisposed to cervical insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of Laparoscopic emergency cervicoisthmic cerclage in second trimester of pregnancy.
METHODS: Between November 2015 and March 2019 5 patients underwent Laparoscopic emergency cervicoisthmic cerclage. All women had showed cervical insufficiency with dilation in the second trimester due to extensive conisation (3 patients) or re-conisation (2 patients) and failed transvaginal cerclage (5 patients) due to a short vaginal cervix. Patients\' characteristics were obtained from hospital\'s medical record and we evaluated surgical data, intra, postoperative complications, and perinatal outcome. All operations were performed by the same surgeon.
RESULTS: The average operation time was 88 min (ranging from 80 to 95 minutes), the average estimated blood loss during the procedure was less than 100 mL and there were no perioperative or postoperative complications. The mean gestational age at surgery was 14.4 (ranging from 14.2 to 16) weeks. All women underwent an elective CS after 38 weeks of gestation. The overall pregnancy survival rate was 100 %, the mean gestational age at delivery was 38.1 weeks (ranging from 38.0 to 38.5 weeks) and the mean birth weight was 3190 g (g) (ranging from 2980 g to 3350 g).
CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cervicoisthmic cerclage might be an alternative approach even in the early second trimester of pregnancy. Our study\'s success rates compare favourably to the laparotomy approach and the laparoscopic cervicoisthmic cerclage showed a relatively high success rate in women who are at risk of poor obstetric outcomes. Of course, the surgeon\'s experience and competence plays a key role and this approach should only be attempted in well-organized units.

OBJECTIVE: In this work we report the first use of robot-assisted preconceptual abdominal cerclage in the Czech Republic with subsequent live birth. We present two patients with a history of late pregnancy losses (late miscarriage) who underwent robotic abdominal cerclage.
METHODS: Case report.
METHODS: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký Univesity, Olomouc.
METHODS: The da Vinci S surgical system was used for the robot-assisted abdominal cerclage.
RESULTS: One robot-assisted laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage patient delivered at term a live infant and the second patient currently undergoes infertility treatment with in vitro fertilization.
CONCLUSIONS: Robotic abdominal cerclage is a relatively new minimally invasive method for treatment of cervical insufficiency. This technique provides 3D visualization and better instrumentation than the conventional laparoscopic approach.

The case presentation of a transvaginal cervical cerclage performed at a 7 cm dilation in a patient in the 22nd week of pregnancy, followed by a prolongation of the pregnancy until the gestational age of 38 weeks, was reported in the context of many similar cases managed by the authors of the article during a program of screening and prevention of preterm birth. The particularity of the case was the lack of a preterm birth in the medical history of the patient and the installation of the isthmus-cervix incompetence in the second pregnancy, after an on term pregnancy. What should be evidenced is the importance transvaginal cervical ultrasound evaluation has in the early diagnosis of this pathology during pregnancy, this being the only method of determining the efficacy of the content of the internal cervical os. Transvaginal cervical exploration has to be implemented as a screening method both in the high-risk patients and in the absence of a suggestive medical history.

We report a robotic-assisted, ultrasound-guided abdominal cerclage placement during pregnancy that resulted in term delivery, and review the current literature with respect to the efficacy of robotic-assisted transabdominal cerclage (RoboTAC) placement. The patient was a 25-year-old gravida 5 para 0-0-4-0 with cervical insufficiency who failed McDonald cerclage placement in two prior pregnancies, and presented at 13 weeks with a shortened (1.66 cm) cervical length. Placement of abdominal cerclage with robotic assistance under ultrasound guidance was performed at a teaching hospital. The main outcome measure was feasibility of RoboTAC placement in a gravid uterus under ultrasound guidance, and delivery of an infant ≥34 weeks of gestation with neonatal survival. Abdominal cerclage was safely and successfully placed at 13 weeks with robotic assistance. The patient had an otherwise uncomplicated antenatal course and was delivered via primary cesarean section at 38 weeks. Robotic-assisted abdominal cerclage can be considered for patients who require abdominal cerclage placement by skilled robotic surgeons.

Pregnancies complicated by midtrimester painless cervical dilation are known to have associations with preterm birth. In situations where fetal amniotic membranes are exposed, the risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality increases dramatically in this particularly high-risk population. Multifetal gestations further increase the risk of preterm birth, yet there remains a paucity of data supporting therapeutic intervention for these patients. We report a case series of 12 multifetal gestations with painless cervical dilation and exposed fetal membranes that underwent emergency cerclage placement. Pregnancy prolongation was achieved on average 60.25 days with 76.9% neonatal survival. These findings are suggestive that emergency cerclage may be a beneficial treatment in this unique patient population.