Introduction
A spontaneous premature rupture of membranes in the early 2nd trimester
considerably impairs the formation of the fetal skeletal system, as well
as inhibiting the maturation of the lungs and kidneys due to the absence
of amniotic fluid. Intrauterine infections can occur, which can also
endanger the mother. This often leaves no other option than to advise
the mother to terminate the pregnancy. Loss of amniotic fluid is
observed in rare cases even after amniocentesis. In most cases, the
defect is self-locking. In two-thirds of cases, abortion occurs,
especially if larger amounts of amniotic fluid (15 ml) have been removed1. The termination of pregnancy is usually associated
with considerable psychological stress for the patient.
After Szendi 2 initially described total cervical
occlusion, Saling 3,4 modified it in a prophylactic
approach to habitual abortion. We successfully applied this method for
many years in a prophylactic and therapeutic approach, modified it and
always combined it with McDonald cerclage 5. The
experience we had gained here placed us in a position to perform
complete occlusion of the cervical canal and external os in two cases of
ruptured membranes at 14 and 16 weeks of pregnancy, respectively.