Clinical prediction and especially prevention of abnormal birth timing, particularly pre-term,
is poor. The cervix plays a key role in birth timing; it first serves as a rigid barrier to protect
the developing fetus, then becomes the pathway to delivery of that fetus. Imaging biomarkers
to define this remodeling process could provide insights to improve prediction of birth timing
and elucidate novel targets for preventive therapies. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS)
approaches that appear promising for this purpose include shear wave speed (SWS) …