Interval Cerclage

FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers What is cervical incompetence?Cervical Incompetence or insuffenciency is the inability of the uterine cervix to retain a pregnancy in the absence of the signs and symptoms of clinical contracations or labour in the second transfer. It may be seen as cervical shortening or funneling at the interval os of uterus. What is interval cerclage?An interval cerclage is a stitch that is put at cervico-esthetic region at the level of interval or before conception in patients with history of cervical insuffeciency. It can be put by open abdominal or laproscopic technique. Why is interval cerclage better than cerclage during pregnancy at 12 weeks?

• It avoids an additional surgery during pregnancy reducing the maternal and fetal stress.
• Minimizes the operative blood loss as pregnancy is as pregnancy is a hypervascular state.

What are the indications of interval cerclage ?In patients who have had recurrent preterus births due to:

1. Congenital short or absent cervix
2. Amputated cervix
3. Marked cervical scarring
4. Cervical defects/ cervical insufficiency
5. Previous failed vaginal cerclage

What are the advantages of transabdominal cerclage as compared to vaginal?

1. Higher placement relative to the level of intervals os.
2. Decreased incidence of slippage.
3. Ability to leave the stitch in place in between the pregnancies
4. Eliminates risk of foreign body material from entering the vagina and the subsequent risk of ascending infection.

How is the delivery conducted if the patient gets pregnant after interval cerclage?Delivery is by C Section. What are the advantages of laproscopic cerclage?

1. Reduced blood loss
2. Reduced post operative pain
3. Fewer adhesions
4. Decreased length of hospital stay and faster recovery