CERVICAL PESSARY PLUS VAGINAL PROGESTERONE IN A SINGLETON PREGNANCY WITH
A SHORT CERVIX: AN ANALYSIS OF EFFICACY BASED ON THE LEARNING CURVE AND
CUMULATIVE SUM ANALYSIS (LC-CUSUM) IN A QUASI-RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL
Abstract
Objective This study aims to determine the performance of cervical
pessary in singleton pregnancies with a short cervix based on the
learning curve. Design, Settings, Population, and Methods Between 2011
and 2018, 128 singleton gestation between 18th to 24th weeks with a
short cervix (<25mm) were referred to our quasi-randomized
trial. All cases were treated with progesterone, and, when available,
cervical pessary was also offered. Three groups were created for
statistical analysis: Group 1 (n=33), treated with progesterone-only;
Group 2 and Group 3, treated with cervical pessary plus progesterone.
Group 2, included the first cases (n=30), defined by the learning curve
and cumulative sum analysis (LC-CUSUM), while Group 3, included the
subsequent (n=65). Our outcome was delivery before 34 weeks. Main
outcome measures and Results LC-CUSUM demonstrated that 30 patients
achieved learning. The preterm birth rate before 34 weeks was 27.3% in
Group 1, 20% in Group 2, and 4.6% in Group 3. There was no significant
difference in the Group 1/Group 2 comparison (OR 1.10, P=0.945); the
Group 1/Group 3 comparison, the difference was significant (OR 0.08,
P=0.003). Conclusion LC-CUSUM determined 30 pessaries to achieve the
best pessary performance. Cervical pessary plus progesterone can reduce
the preterm birth before 34 weeks in patients with a short cervix.
Funding This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de
Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) - Finance
Code 001 Keywords Preterm birth; learning curve; cervical pessary;
vaginal progesterone; singleton pregnancy; short cervix; transvaginal
ultrasound.