RT Journal Article
T1 In Vivo Measurement of Cervical Elasticity on Pregnant Women by Torsional Wave Technique: A Preliminary Study.
A1 Massó, Paloma
A1 Callejas, Antonio
A1 Melchor, Juan
A1 Molina, Francisca S
A1 Rus, Guillermo
K1 cervical stiffness
K1 cervix
K1 pregnancy
K1 torsional wave
AB A torsional wave (TW) sensor prototype was employed to quantify stiffness of the cervix in pregnant women. A cross-sectional study in a total of 18 women between 16 weeks and 35 weeks + 5 days of gestation was performed. The potential of TW technique to assess cervical ripening was evaluated by the measurement of stiffness related to gestational age and cervical length. Statistically significant correlations were found between cervical stiffness and gestational age ( R 2 = 0.370 , p = 0.0074 , using 1 kHz waves and R 2 = 0.445 , p = 0.0250 , using 1.5 kHz waves). A uniform decrease in stiffness of the cervical tissue was confirmed to happen during the complete gestation. There was no significant correlation between stiffness and cervical length. A stronger association between gestational age and cervical stiffness was found compared to gestational age and cervical length correlation. As a conclusion, TW technique is a feasible approach to objectively quantify the decrease of cervical stiffness related to gestational age. Further research is required to evaluate the application of TW technique in obstetric evaluations, such as prediction of preterm delivery and labor induction failure.
YR 2019
FD 2019-07-24
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/14305
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/14305
LA en
DS RISalud
RD Apr 18, 2025