This Review describes the rationale for the use of cervical pessaries to prevent spontaneous
preterm birth and their gradual introduction into clinical practice, discusses technical aspects …

The adoption of multiscale approaches by the biomechanical community has caused a
major improvement in quality in the mechanical characterization of soft tissues. The recent …

In normal pregnancy, the cervix functions as a protective mechanical barrier that must
remain tight and closed. Premature remodeling and consecutive shortening occur in many …

Objective: To determine whether a soft cervix identified by shear-wave elastography
between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation is associated with increased frequency of …

The quantitative assessment of the cervix is crucial for the estimation of pre-term delivery risk
and the prediction of the success of labor induction. We conducted a cross-sectional study …

Objective: To determine if there is an association between cervical strain, evaluated using
ultrasound elastography, and spontaneous preterm delivery (sPTD)< 37 weeks of gestation …

Background Despite the efforts to decrease the rate of preterm birth, preterm delivery is still
the main cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Identifying patients threatened with …

Objectives To explore spatial variability within the cervix and the sensitivity of shear wave
speed (SWS) to assess softness/stiffness differences in ripened (softened) vs unripened …

Objective To quantitatively describe the evolution of ectocervical stiffness in normal
pregnancy. Methods The stiffness of ectocervical tissue was measured by using the …

Measuring the stiffness of the cervix might be useful in the prediction of preterm delivery or
successful induction of labor. For that purpose, a variety of methods for quantitative …