Many pregnant women at risk of premature delivery have undergone the procedure known as cervical cerclage, and it turns out the materials used in this process have a much greater impact on the child than previously thought.
Researchers in England claim that the success of the procedure – whereby stitches are placed into the cervix to ward off early delivery – comes down to the type of thread used by the doctor.
According to a study carried out by scientists at Imperial College London, more babies could be saved from stillbirth or premature delivery if doctors used a thinner thread in the stitches.
Typically, there are two types of thread used: a thin nylon filament, and a thicker braided thread.
Researchers believe that the thicker thread creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria which can lead to infection, thus setting off early delivery or even resulting in stillbirth.
In this way, their study – published in the journal Science Translational Medicine – showed that using the thinner thread could potentially prevent hundreds of stillbirths and premature births.
As part of the study, the research team analysed data from 671 women who underwent the cervical stitch procedure.
They discovered that creating the stitches with the thicker thread resulted in higher rates of preterm birth; this, in comparison to when the thinner thread was used.
Their study also showed that, out of those births studied, 15 percent of women who received the thicker threaded stitch had a stillbirth; this, in comparison to 5 percent of those who received the thinner threaded stitch.
Commenting on his team’s findings, lead author Professor Phillip Bennett wrote: “Although the cervical stitch procedure still holds benefits for women overall, our results suggest the thicker thread may encourage the growth of potentially dangerous bacteria in the cervix.”
“We strongly advise that the thicker thread – which is currently used in the majority of procedures – only be used in a research setting whilst we thoroughly investigate the risks this may hold,” he added.
