CASE REPORT   

Minerva Obstetrics and Gynecology 2021 October;73(5):654-8

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-606X.21.04785-0

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Bulging of both membranes and fetal lower limbs: conservative management

Vito LEANZA, Valentina D’URSO, Marianna GULISANO ✉, Giosuè G. INCOGNITO, Marco PALUMBO

S. Marco University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

Cervical incompetence is the inability of the cervix to retain fetus, in the absence of clinical symptoms or signs of labor, owing to a functional or structural defect and it is a known cause of abortion and preterm delivery. A widely used therapeutic option is cervical cerclage, which is performed electively at the beginning of the second trimester in high-risk pregnant human. Moreover, cervical cerclage is also performed as an emergency procedure. We reported a case of a pregnant women, who was hospitalized with incompetent cervix and bulging of both membranes and fetal lower limbs at 22 weeks of amenorrhea. She refused emergency cervical cerclage and chose conservative managing, tackling the risk of preterm labor. Although the medical team did not recommend the choice of the patient, bed rest with medical therapy allowed the delivery at term (39 weeks) through cesarean section. A female newborn weighing 3.590 gr was extracted in good health.

KEY WORDS: Uterine cervical incompetence; Premature birth; Cerclage, cervical