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Short cervical length has been shown to be a good predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery (1,2,3,4). Most of the literature use cervical lengths of <25 or <15mm, and a recent study examining a variety of lengths concluded that a cervical length < 25 mm carried a higher sensitivity, whereas a cutoff value of < 15mm provided a higher positive predictive value (1). However, to date the use of cervical length screening to predict which women may benefit from cervical cerclage has produced varying results (5,6,7). This may reflect the selection criteria used and suggests that there maybe a subgroup of women who benefit

1.Hassan SS, Romero R, Berry SM, Dang K, Blackwell SC, Treadwell MC, Wolfe HM. Patients with an ultrasonographic cervical length <15 mm have a nearly 50% risk of early spontaneous preterm delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000; 182: 1458- 1467, Abstract

2. Andrews WW. Copper R. Hauth JC. Goldenberg RL. Neely C. Dubard M. Second-trimester cervical ultrasound: associations with increased risk for recurrent early spontaneous delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology.2000; 95: 222-6, Abstract

3.Heath VC. Southall TR. Souka AP. Elisseou A. Nicolaides KH. Cervical length at 23 weeks of gestation: prediction of spontaneous preterm delivery. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 1998; 12: 312-7, Abstract

4.Taipale P. Hiilesmaa V. Sonographic measurement of uterine cervix at 18-22 weeks' gestation and the risk of preterm delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 1998;92:902-7, Abstract

5.Heath VC, Souka AP, Erasmus I, Gibb DM, Nicolaides KH. Cervical length at 23 weeks of gestation: the value of Shirodkar suture for the short cervix. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1998; 12: 18-22, Abstract

6.Berghella V, Daly SF, Tolosa JE, DiVito MM, Chalmers R, Garg N, et al. Prediction of preterm delivery with transvaginal ultrasonography of the cervix in patients with high risk pregnancies: does cervical cerclage prevent prematurity? Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999; 181: 809-15, Abstract

7. Althuisius SM, Dekker GA, Hummel P, Bekedam DJ, van Geijn HP. Final results of the Cervical Incompetence Prevention Randonized Cerclage Trial (CIPRAT): Therapeutic cerclage with bed rest versus bed rest alone. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185: 1106-1112, Abstract