The role of cervical cerclage in the management of preterm premature XXXX .

@entity1 @entity397
The presence of a cervical cerclage at the time of preterm premature @entity397 potentially complicates this already difficult management problem. An analysis of 44 @entity1 presenting with preterm premature @entity397 was conducted. Twelve @entity1 were immediately delivered because of fetal distress, labor, or mature fetal pulmonary studies. Thirty-two @entity1 entered an expectant management protocol. The cervical cerclage was removed on admission to the study. These @entity1 were compared with 32 matched control subjects. There appears to be no difference in neonatal or maternal outcome between the study and control groups. The latency period from premature @entity397 until delivery was not affected by the presence or removal of the cerclage. There was no difference in infectious complications. These data suggest that the presence of a cervical cerclage at the time of preterm premature @entity397 does not increase the risk of delivery or infectious morbidity as long as the cerclage is removed early in the management protocol.
