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Placenta previa remains a cause of substantial pregnancy-related morbidity and even mortality. With rising rates of cesarean delivery, risk for abnormal placentation also grows. However, predicting which women with placenta previa are likely to experience complications from the condition has eluded clinicians. To determine whether third-trimester cervical length predicts excess risk for subsequent vaginal bleeding or preterm birth, investigators conducted a prospective cohort study in which 89 patients with placenta previa underwent transvaginal ultrasound examinations at 32 weeks' gestation. Clinicians and patients were blinded to cervical length.
Of 68 women with persistent placenta previa at 32 weeks' gestation, 29 (43%) had short cervix …