Cervical typing in preterm delivery

Abstract

Preterm delivery remains an enigma and is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. To assess the cervix during pregnancy by clinical methods and cervical typing & to determine its use for the prediction of preterm delivery and cervical insufficiency. This was a prospective study conducted on 236 patients attending ANC clinic of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Subjects were of different age, parity and gestation period from 16th-36th weeks. History and clinical examination was performed along with cervical typing by doing one PV examination randomly during their visit. Data was tabulated as per cervical typing and followed the patient upto delivery. The data was divided into two groups according to risk associated with the cervical typing (group1: I-V & group 2: VI-IX) and further according to preterm or term delivery. Then both the groups were compared according to cervical typing to know whether low risk or high risk. Statistical tests were applied know whether the difference in obstetrical outcome is statistically significant. Out of 236, 210 patients delivered at term and 26 had preterm delivery. Chi-square Naïve Bayes ML algorithm were applied and showed that this classification according to cervical types is reliable for interpreting the possibility of preterm delivery and is easy to practice even by peripheral doctors at primary health centres in remote areas.