Cervical cerclage in twin pregnancies: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

Data on the prevention of preterm birth in twin pregnancies with cervical cerclage remain inconsistent. Thus, this study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the value of cervical cerclage as a treatment strategy to prevent preterm birth in twin pregnancies with regard to both maternal and neonatal outcomes.

STUDY

DESIGN

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies and trials from their inception up to December 2020. Outcomes were expressed as risk ratios and standardized mean differences in a meta-analysis model using STATA 15.0 software.

RESULTS

The search included 944 studies, 15 of which were eligible for inclusion, representing 726 patients treated with cervical cerclage and 8578 non-cerclage treatment controls. When the cervical length was <15 mm, the risk ratio of preterm birth at <37 weeks (0.77, p = 0.01), <34 weeks (0.58, p = 0.002), and <32 weeks (0.61, p = 0.024) of gestation in the cerclage group was significantly lower than that in the non-cerclage group.

CONCLUSION

For twin pregnancies with a cervical length <15 mm, cervical cerclage was associated with significant reduction in preterm birth.