Abstract
The results of 114 pregnancies are reported, which had a cerclage of the uterine cervix in Nagoya National Hospital from July, 1963 to June, 1973.
During the same period there were 13, 556 deliveries at this hospital, the cerclage rate was 0.84%. 114 women had 35 living children (20.3%) from 174 previous pregnancies after 17 weeks without cerclage. In the same cases following cerclage, 103 children (91.2%) survived. We divided the cerclage into therapeutic and prophylactic, depending whether the cervical incompetence is confirmed from progressive effacement and dilatation of the cervix occuring over serial examinations during pregnancy or the cervical incompetence is inferred from presumptive evidence, namely a history of repeated relatively painless and bloodless second trimester abortions, typical finding of the hysterography and admission of the No.8 Hegar dilator effortlessly through the internal os etc. 11 cases were therapeutic and 103 cases were prophylactic. There is no difference in the results between therapeutic and prophylactic cerclage. So we favor the prophylactic cerclage rather than awaiting the establishment of the cervical incompetence
