Sonoelastography as method for preliminary evaluation of uterine cervix to predict success of induction of labor

Induction of labor is a useful practice to solve many obstetric situations but has a large impact on the health of women and their babies and therefore needs to be clearly justified clinically. Aim: To determine the sensitivity of sonoelastography in the evaluation of the cervix to predict the success of induction. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 53 subjects preparing for induction of labor. Transvaginal evaluation of cervical length and a sonoelastogram were performed. We preliminarily classified the sonoelastograms into five elastography index (EI) categories and examined the different distribution of cesarean or spontaneous deliveries in various subgroups of EI by χ 2 test and multivariate analysis by logistic regression. Results: Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference of prevalence of spontaneous delivery (EI1–3 82.75%, EI4–5 45.8%) versus cesarean section (EI1–3 17.25%, EI4–5 54.16%) (p = 0.0072). The diagnostic validity of EI was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve and cut-off of the predictive value was EI3. Discussion: The results of our study indicate that sonoelastography is an innovative technique that could allow a more objective preliminary evaluation of the cervix before inducing labor, however further studies with a larger number of subjects and a standardization of image acquisition are necessary.