02/04/2012

The insertion of a simple non-invasive cervical pessary during the second trimester of pregnancy in women at high risk of preterm delivery (those women with short cervix) significantly reduces the probability of a premature birth, which is the main cause of death or serious illness of the newborn. This has been demonstrated by randomized trial conducted at Vall d'Hebron and published in the online edition of the medical journal The Lancet. The pessary is a simple silicone ring, low-cost (38 euros), non-invasive and easy to place and remove. It is inserted through the vagina around the cervix without surgery. 95% of the women who have carried it would recommend it to other pregnant women at risk, because it does not have serious side effects. The study led by the Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) is a collaborative work with five other Spanish hospitals that provided a significant sample of 380 pregnant women. They were singled for presenting a short cervix, that is a cervical length of 25 mm, which was detected in an ultrasound scan performed at the 22nd week of pregnancy. This is one of the main risk factors for prematurity. Half of those women, randomly selected, used the cervical pessary and half followed the usual medical treatment without pessary.