Quantitative analysis of cervical texture by ultrasound in mid-pregnancy and association with spontaneous preterm birth.

Objective: New tools are required to improve the identification of women who are at increased risk for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Quantitative analysis of tissue texture on ultrasound has been used to extract robust features from the ultrasound image to detect subtle changes in its microstructure. This may be applied to the cervix.

Mid-trimester sonographic cervical consistency index to predict spontaneous preterm birth in a low-risk population.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of mid-trimester sonographic cervical consistency index (CCI) for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in low-risk pregnancies and to compare its performance with that of mid-trimester sonographic cervical-length (CL) measurement.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of women with a singleton pregnancy examined by ultrasound at 19 + 0 to 24 + 6 weeks' gestation. All women underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination of the cervix, but CCI and CL were measured, offline, only in women without a risk factor for sPTB.