Evaluation Value of Cervical Bishop Score and Cervical Elastography Ultrasound Parameters in Assessing Cervical Ripeness

Background: The use of transvaginal ultrasound to measure several parameters has been investigated as an alternative to the cervical Bishop score to predict the success rate of induced labor. We analyzed the utility of the cervical Bishop score and cervical elastography ultrasound parameters in assessing cervical ripeness after 39 weeks gestation. Methods: This retrospective case-control study reviewed 230 pregnant women who underwent labor induction and delivered at the Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, from May 2022 to November 2023. Cervical Bishop scores and cervical elastography ultrasound parameters were measured prior to labor induction. According to the labor outcomes, participants were categorized into a successful induction group (n = 220) and a failed induction group (n = 10). We compared the differences between the two groups and analyzed the predictive value of the cervical Bishop score and cervical elastography ultrasound parameters for assessing cervical ripeness using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The cervical bishop score in the failed induction group was significantly lower than in the successful induction group (p < 0.05), and the height was also significantly lower in the failed induction group compared to the successful induction group (p = 0.047). No statistically significant differences were found in basic characteristics such as cervical length, cervical hardness, shape of the cervical internal os, cervical transverse width, and internal/external os (IOS/EOS) ratio (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the predictive value of the cervical Bishop score and cervical elastography ultrasound parameters for assessing cervical ripeness, with ROC curve areas of 0.706 and 0.710, respectively. Conclusions: The cervical Bishop score and cervical elastography ultrasound parameters demonstrated equivalent effectiveness in evaluating cervical ripeness.