Robotic-assisted prophylactic transabdominal cervical cerclage in singleton pregnancies

The effectiveness of transabdominal cerclage placement via laparoscopy or laparotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Failure or technical impossibility to place a prophylactic transvaginal cerclage in women with cervical insufficiency justifies the need for an abdominal cerclage. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we studied the obstetrical and surgical outcomes of laparoscopic and open laparotomy abdominal cerclage approaches performed before (interval) or during pregnancy.

DATA SOURCES

We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies on laparoscopic and open laparotomy abdominal cerclage placement in February 2022.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All studies on laparoscopic or open laparotomy placement of an abdominal cerclage with at least 2 patients that reported on our primary outcomes were included.

METHODS

All included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias with an adjusted Quality in Prognosis Study tool. Random effects meta-analyses were performed for the primary outcomes, namely fetal survival and gestational age at delivery.

RESULTS

Our search yielded 83 studies with a total of 3398 patients; 1869 of those underwent laparoscopic cerclage placement and 1529 underwent open laparotomy placements. No studies directly compared the 2 cerclage approaches. The survival (overall, 91.2%) and gestational age at delivery (overall, 36.6 weeks) were not statistically different between the approaches. For the procedure during pregnancy, the laparoscopic group showed significantly less blood loss >400 mL (0% vs 3%), a slightly lower procedure-related fetal loss (0% vs 1%), a shorter hospital stay but a longer operation duration than the open laparotomy group. For the interval cerclages, the laparoscopic group showed significantly fewer wound infections (0% vs 3%) and a shorter hospital stay than the open laparotomy group, but showed comparable offspring preterm birth and survival rates.

CONCLUSION

Based on indirect comparisons, the laparoscopic and open laparotomy abdominal cerclage placements at interval or during pregnancy produced similar outcomes in terms of survival and gestational age at delivery. There are some small differences in perioperative care, surgical complications, interventions, and complications during pregnancy. This implies that both methods of abdominal cerclage placement have high success rates and thus we cannot conclude that one of the methods is superior for the placement of an abdominal cerclage.

Robotic assisted laparoscopic cerclage: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The gold standard in the management of cervical incompetence is cerclage via vaginal approach. Minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic, have been also described.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic search was performed in PubMed and Scopus, searching evidence on robotic assisted laparoscopic cerclage in both pregnant and non pregnant women.

RESULTS

Sixty-four patients were included in this study. Cervical insufficiency, failure of transvaginal cerclage, and short cervix were the most frequent indications for robotic assisted cerclage. Mean operative time was 107.3 minutes. Mean estimated blood loss was 62.8 mL. Four patients converted to laparotomy. No postoperative complications were reported. Pregnancy after robotic cerclage was reported in 59 patients with mean gestational age at delivery of 36.4 weeks. The majority of pregnant women who underwent robotic assisted cerclage gave birth to live neonates.

CONCLUSION

Till now, evidence does not show a clear advantage of robotic over laparoscopic approach, under the evaluation of the current literature. However, further comparative studies might be essential to clarify the possible role of da Vinci robot in this field; this might be quite difficult even in the near future based on the fact that only five cases per year are described in the current literature.

Current options for mechanical prevention of preterm birth

Cervical insufficiency can be defined by a combination of obstetric history, cervical dilation on exam, and/or short cervical length in women with prior preterm birth. Options for mechanical intervention include cerclage and pessary. There is evidence to support the benefit of a cervical cerclage in women with singleton gestations who have a diagnosis of cervical insufficiency either based on second trimester painless cervical dilatation leading to recurrent early preterm births, or a history of early spontaneous preterm birth and a second trimester transvaginal ultrasound short cervical length or cervical dilation on exam. For women with multiple gestations, the benefit of a cerclage is uncertain, and further study is warranted. The pessary has also been studied for mechanical prevention of preterm birth in various populations, however the results so far have been mixed and warrants further study prior to routine use.

Robot-Assisted Abdominal Cerclage During Pregnancy

Background and Objectives:

Cervical insufficiency is a difficult condition to diagnose and can lead to preterm birth, miscarriage, or perinatal infant morbidity and mortality. We conducted this retrospective case study and literature review to evaluate the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted abdominal cerclage during pregnancy.

Methods:

We conducted a case series and a systematic review that included patients who underwent robot-assisted abdominal cerclage during pregnancy from January 2010 through March 2016.

Results:

Six patients met the criteria for the case series. Median age was 34 years (range, 28–37) at the time of the procedure. In 5 cases, the indication for transabdominal cerclage was a failed vaginal cerclage in a previous pregnancy, whereas a scarred and shortened cervix caused by a previous dilatation and curettage–induced cervical laceration was the indication in the remaining case. Median operating time was 159.5 minutes (range, 124–204), and median estimated blood loss was 25 mL (range, 10–25). No surgeries were converted to laparotomies; all patients were discharged on postoperative day 1. The median gestational age at delivery was 37.5 weeks (range, 22–39). Five patients delivered between 36 and 39 weeks. No patients had chorioamnionitis or preterm premature rupture of membranes. One patient went into preterm labor at 22 weeks, and the cerclage was removed via minilaparotomy. Eight articles met the criteria for systematic review. Sixteen patients underwent robot-assisted abdominal cerclage during pregnancy. Median age was 31.5 years (range, 25–37). The major indication in most articles was previous failed transvaginal cerclage. The median gestational ages at time of procedure and delivery were 12 weeks (range, 10–15) and 37 weeks (range, 33–39), respectively.

Conclusion:

Robot-assisted abdominal cerclage is safe and effective during pregnancy.