Health of Woman. 2025. 3(178): 34-39. doi: 10.15574/HW.2025.3(178).3439

Petrenko E. V., Dubossarska Yu. O.
Dnipro State Medical University, Ukraine

For citation: Petrenko EV, Dubossarska YuO. (2025). onographic prognostic markers of spontaneous preterm birth. Ukrainian Journal Health of Woman. 3(178): 34-39. doi: 10.15574/HW.2025.3(178).3439
Article received: Mar 30, 2025. Accepted for publication: May 21, 2025.

Aim – to evaluate the prognostic potential of ultrasound parameters (uterine-cervical angle (UCA) and cervical length (CL)) measured in the second trimester as predictors of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) in singleton pregnancies.
Materials and methods. The main study group included 22 women whose pregnancies ended in SPB at 24-36 weeks of gestation. The control group consisted of 24 patients who had full-term deliveries. The obstetric, gynecological and somatic history of the patients was studied, in particular the course of pregnancy and transvaginal ultrasound parameters for cervicometry and determination of the UCA at 18-22 weeks of pregnancy. Descriptive and analytical statistical methods were used (Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's χ² test, correlation and ROC analyses).
Results. Significant differences were found in the frequency of preterm births, which occurred in 18.2% of women the main study group and none of the patients in the control group. Analysis of the course of the gestational period showed a higher frequency of complicated pregnancies in women of main group compared to the control group – 63.6% versus 33.3% of cases, respectively. In women of the main group, UCA indicators were 15.1% higher than the corresponding indicators in patients of the control group. UCA/CL ratios in women of main group were 20.7% higher than the average indicators in the control group.
Conclusions. The main risk factors for SPB include a history of preterm birth, 4 or more pregnancies, concomitant gynecological pathology, as well as complicated pregnancy with cases of threatened miscarriage in the first and second trimesters and anemia in the second trimester. The risk of SPB was directly associated with shortening of the cervix, an increase in the UCA and the UCA/CL ratio according to transvaginal ultrasound data at 18-22 weeks of pregnancy. This allows these indicators to be considered as possible markers for predicting preterm birth.
The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. Informed consent was obtained from the patients for the study.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Keywords: spontaneous preterm birth, transvaginal ultrasound, uterine-cervical angle, cervical length, predictive markers.

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