Silicone-plastic cuff for the treatment of the incompetent cervix in pregnancy

Ten patients with a history and physical findings compatible with cervical incompetence have been treated utilizing an inflatable silicone-plastic cuff. Seven of these women had had a total of 21 consecutive midtrimester abortions. Three women had been delivered of 5 infants at 28 to 29 weeks' gestation, all of whom subsequently died. At this time, 7 of the patients have been delivered of viable infants with no fetal mortality. Two of the 3 remaining women still have the cuff in place and their pregnancies are proceeding uneventfully. In one woman, the cuff slipped off the cervix after being in place for 3 weeks. The average length of gestation in the 7 women who were delivered of infants was 35 weeks.