Incomplete Healing of the Uterine Incision after Cesarean Section: Is It Preventable by Intraoperative Digital Dilatation of the Internal Cervical Ostium?

Background/Aims: It was the aim of this study to determine if intraoperative digital dilatation of the closed internal cervical ostium affects the healing of the uterine scar after a cesarean section (CS). Methods: In this randomized, prospective study, 94 term pregnant patients who elected to have a CS were assigned to two groups: intraoperative digital dilatation of the internal cervical ostium (group I, n = 48) or no dilatation (group II, n = 46). Vaginal ultrasound was used to check the integrity of the cesarean scar at the uterine incision site 40–42 days after the operation. We calculated the healing ratio based on ultrasonographic results and compared the groups as to the amount of incomplete healing. Results: The frequency of abnormal scarring was significantly higher in group II (14.3 vs. 40.6%; p Conclusion: Digital dilatation of a closed cervix in elective CS might lower the incidence of abnormal scarring of the uterine incision.