Objective:

To establish the usefulness of cervical length as a predictor of success in labor induction in term pregnancies.

Methods:

A Prospective, comparative study in pregnant women who were selected for labor induction at the Central Hospital of Maracaibo between November 2020 and July 2024. Before induction, all participants underwent cervical ultrasound evaluation. The main variables were type of delivery and interval between the beginning of induction and delivery.

Results:

Out of 443 pregnant women, 349 had vaginal deliveries (78.8%) and 94 had cesarean sections (21.2%). Patients who had lower baseline cervical length were more likely to have a vaginal delivery compared to those who needed a cesarean section (p = 0.0009). A cutoff value of 20 millimeters for pre-induction cervical length moderately predicted successful labor induction (AUC = 0.613). This cutoff value had a sensitivity of 66.5%, a specificity of 53.2%, and a prognostic accuracy of 63.7%. Patients with a cervical length less than 20 millimeters also had a higher number of vaginal deliveries, earlier delivery (before 12 hours), and a shorter interval between induction and delivery (p < 0.005).

Conclusions:

Cervical length of 20 millimeters or less has moderate predictive ability for a successful labor induction. However, these patients have a shorter interval between induction and delivery compared to those with a longer cervical length.