{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T19:08:31Z","timestamp":1784660911944,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,20]],"date-time":"2022-01-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642636800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003035","name":"Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Fond","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20\u201010\u20100064"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20\u201010\u20100064"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003035","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this feasibility study, we hypothesize that the evaluation of cervical biomechanical strength can be improved if cervical length measurement is supplemented with quantitative elastography, which is a technique based on conventional ultrasound elastography combined with a force\u2010measuring device. Our aims were to: (a) develop a force\u2010measuring device; (b) introduce a cervical elastography index <jats:italic>(CEI)<\/jats:italic> and a cervical strength index (<jats:italic>CSI<\/jats:italic>; defined as cervical length \u00d7 <jats:italic>CEI<\/jats:italic>); (c) evaluate how these indexes assess the cervical softening that takes place during normal pregnancy; and (d) how these indexes predict the cervical dilatation time from 4 to 10\u00a0cm.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Material and methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>An electronic force\u2010measuring device was mounted on the handle of the transvaginal probe, allowing for force measurement when conducting elastography. The study group concerned with normal cervical softening included 44 unselected pregnant women. Outcomes were <jats:italic>CEI<\/jats:italic> and CSI at different gestational ages. The study group for labor induction included 26 singleton term pregnant women admitted for labor induction. Outcome was defined as cervical dilatation time from 4 to 10\u00a0cm. Elastography measured the changes in mean gray value (intensity) during manual compressions. Region of interest was set within the anterior cervical lip.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>We found that the mean of all variables regarding cervical softening decreased from early to late pregnancy: ie cervical length from 34 to 29\u00a0mm, CEI from 0.17 to 0.11\u00a0N, and CSI from 5.9 to 3.1\u00a0N mm. Moreover, the cervical dilatation time during labor induction was associated with CEI, although not statistically significantly (area under the ROC curve of 0.67), but not with the Bishop score, the cervical length, or the CSI.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>We propose that quantitative elastography based on changes in the intensity of the B\u2010mode ultrasound recording, in combination with a force\u2010measuring device on the handle of the vaginal probe, deserves further investigation as an approach for evaluation of cervical biomechanical strength.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/aogs.14309","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,20]],"date-time":"2022-01-20T11:19:44Z","timestamp":1642677584000},"page":"241-247","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["A force\u2010measuring device combined with ultrasound\u2010based elastography for assessment of the uterine cervix"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"101","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5295-6923","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christine Rohr","family":"Thomsen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Aarhus University Hospital  Aarhus Denmark"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Randers Regional Hospital  Randers Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0326-2973","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Strandbo Schmidt","family":"Jensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Aarhus University Hospital  Aarhus Denmark"},{"name":"Center for Fetal Diagnostics Department of Clinical Medicine Aarhus University Hospital  Aarhus 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