Laparoscopic abdominal cerclage during pregnancy: A case report and a review of the described operative techniques

A case report and systematic review of the literature. We report on a 26-year-old patient, gravida 2, para 0, at 12 weeks gestation with the diagnosis of cervical incompetence, in whom transvaginal cerclage was not technically possible and laparoscopic transcervical abdominal cerclage was performed. The operation lasted 100 minutes and was completed successfully. The patient was discharged the next day and the remainder of her pregnancy was uneventful. A healthy infant weighing 3010 g was delivered at 38.4 weeks by cesarean section. Laparoscopic transcervical abdominal cerclage approach is safe and effective to pregnant patients when abdominal cerclage is recommended and offers faster patient recovery. (C) 2006 AAGL. All rights reserved.