Cervical weakness and ascending infection have long been considered important causes of preterm birth. Cervical occlusion could theoretically be used for the treatment of cervical weakness and to protect the cervix against infection. A cervical cerclage could be placed to increase the cervical resistance, and occlusion of the external os could be performed to retain the cervical mucus plug thereby preventing infection. The aim of this multicentre, stratified, randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effect of cervical occlusion versus no cervical occlusion in women with prophylactic and therapeutic cervical cerclages.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cervical occlusion versus no cervical occlusion in women with cervical cerclages.