Definition

Noun: 1. A specific surgical procedure to prevent preterm birth: A "purse-string operation" is a surgical intervention in which a suture (stitch) is placed around and through the cervix to close it. This procedure is performed during pregnancy when the cervix is incompetent—meaning it has weakened and begun to dilate too early, having failed to retain previous pregnancies, which poses a high risk of miscarriage or premature delivery. The stitch acts like a drawstring on a purse, holding the cervix closed until it is removed near the end of the pregnancy.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • After two second-trimester losses, her doctor recommended a purse-string operation to help carry this pregnancy to term.
  • The success rate of the purse-string operation in preventing preterm birth is quite high for women with cervical insufficiency.

Advanced Usage

• Medical Context: The term is primarily used in obstetric and gynecological contexts. It is a layperson's term for the more formal medical procedure known as a cervical cerclage.
  • While "purse-string operation" is a descriptive term, the official diagnosis was cervical incompetence, treated with an emergency cerclage.

Variants and Related Words

• Cerclage (n): The formal medical term for the surgical procedure involving the placement of a suture around the cervix.
  • She underwent a cervical cerclage at 14 weeks.
• Cervical incompetence (n): The condition that necessitates the procedure, where the cervix is unable to remain closed during pregnancy.
• Shirodkar suture (n): A specific technique for performing a cervical cerclage.

Synonyms

• Cervical cerclage: The direct and more clinical synonym.
• Cervical stitch: A common, less formal synonym.

Related Phrases

• To have a stitch placed: A common way to refer to undergoing the procedure.
  • She had to have a stitch placed to prevent early dilation.
• To hold the cervix closed: Describes the function of the operation.

Noun

1. a surgical procedure in which a suture is used to close the cervix in a pregnant woman; is performed when the cervix has failed to retain previous pregnancies