Evaluating the Efficacy of Cervical Tactile Ultrasound Technique as a Predictive Tool for Spontaneous Preterm Birth  

作　　者：Vladimir Egorov Todd Rosen Jennifer Hill Meena Khandelwal Victors Kurtenoks Brendan Francy Noune Sarvazyan Vladimir Egorov;Todd Rosen;Jennifer Hill;Meena Khandelwal;Victors Kurtenoks;Brendan Francy;Noune Sarvazyan(Advanced Tactile Imaging, Inc., Ewing, New Jersey, USA;Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA;Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA)

机构地区：[1]Advanced Tactile Imaging, Inc., Ewing, New Jersey, USA [2]Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA [3]Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA

出　　处：《Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology》2024年第5期832-846,共15页妇产科期刊（英文）

摘　　要：Background: Premature cervical softening and shortening may be considered an early mechanical failure that predispose to preterm birth. Purpose: This study aims to explore the applicability of an innovative cervical tactile ultrasound approach for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Materials and Methods: Eligible participants were women with low-risk singleton pregnancies in their second trimester, enrolled in this prospective observational study. A Cervix Monitor (CM) device was designed with a vaginal probe comprising four tactile sensors and a single ultrasound transducer operating at 5 MHz. The probe enabled the application of controllable pressure to the external cervical surface, facilitating the acquisition of stress-strain data from both anterior and posterior cervical sectors. Gestational age at delivery was recorded and compared against cervical elasticity. Results: CM examination data were analyzed for 127 women at 24^0/7 - 28^6/7 gestational weeks. sPTB was observed in 6.3% of the cases. The preterm group exhibited a lower average cervical stress-to-strain ratio (elasticity) of 0.70 ± 0.26 kPa/mm compared to the term group’s 1.63 ± 0.65 kPa/mm with a p-value of 1.1 × 10⁻⁴. Diagnostic accuracy for predicting spontaneous preterm birth based solely on cervical elasticity data was found to be 95.0% (95% CI, 88.5 - 100.0). Conclusion: These findings suggest that measuring cervical elasticity with the designed tactile ultrasound probe has the potential to predict spontaneous preterm birth in a cost-effective manner.Background: Premature cervical softening and shortening may be considered an early mechanical failure that predispose to preterm birth. Purpose: This study aims to explore the applicability of an innovative cervical tactile ultrasound approach for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Materials and Methods: Eligible participants were women with low-risk singleton pregnancies in their second trimester, enrolled in this prospective observational study. A Cervix Monitor (CM) device was designed with a vaginal probe comprising four tactile sensors and a single ultrasound transducer operating at 5 MHz. The probe enabled the application of controllable pressure to the external cervical surface, facilitating the acquisition of stress-strain data from both anterior and posterior cervical sectors. Gestational age at delivery was recorded and compared against cervical elasticity. Results: CM examination data were analyzed for 127 women at 24^0/7 - 28^6/7 gestational weeks. sPTB was observed in 6.3% of the cases. The preterm group exhibited a lower average cervical stress-to-strain ratio (elasticity) of 0.70 ± 0.26 kPa/mm compared to the term group’s 1.63 ± 0.65 kPa/mm with a p-value of 1.1 × 10⁻⁴. Diagnostic accuracy for predicting spontaneous preterm birth based solely on cervical elasticity data was found to be 95.0% (95% CI, 88.5 - 100.0). Conclusion: These findings suggest that measuring cervical elasticity with the designed tactile ultrasound probe has the potential to predict spontaneous preterm birth in a cost-effective manner.

关 键 词：Cervical Elasticity Spontaneous Preterm Birth Tactile Ultrasound Probe 

分 类 号：R68[医药卫生—骨科学]