@misc{10481/61295,
year = {2019},
month = {7},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/61295},
abstract = {A torsional wave (TW) sensor prototype was employed to quantify stiffness of the cervix in
pregnant women. A cross-sectional study in a total of 18 women between 16 weeks and 35 weeks +
5 days of gestation was performed. The potential of TW technique to assess cervical ripening was
evaluated by the measurement of stiffness related to gestational age and cervical length. Statistically
significant correlations were found between cervical stiffness and gestational age (R2 = 0.370,
p = 0.0074, using 1 kHz waves and R2 = 0.445, p = 0.0250, using 1.5 kHz waves). A uniform
decrease in stiffness of the cervical tissue was confirmed to happen during the complete gestation.
There was no significant correlation between stiffness and cervical length. A stronger association
between gestational age and cervical stiffness was found compared to gestational age and cervical
length correlation. As a conclusion, TW technique is a feasible approach to objectively quantify the
decrease of cervical stiffness related to gestational age. Further research is required to evaluate the
application of TW technique in obstetric evaluations, such as prediction of preterm delivery and labor
induction failure.},
organization = {This research was funded by the Ministry of Education grant numbers DPI2017-83859-R,
DPI2014-51870-R and UNGR15-CE-3664, Ministry of Health grant numbers DTS15/00093 and PI16/00339, and
Junta de Andalucía grant numbers, PI-0107-2017 and PIN-0030-2017.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Torsional wave},
keywords = {Cervix},
keywords = {Pregnancy},
keywords = {Cervical stiffness},
title = {In Vivo Measurement of Cervical Elasticity on Pregnant Women by Torsional Wave Technique: A Preliminary Study},
doi = {10.3390/s19153249},
author = {Massó Guijarro, Paloma and Callejas Zafra, Antonio Manuel and Melchor, Juan and Molina, Francisca and Rus Carlborg, Guillermo},
}