Pregnancy and delivery after annular detachment of the uterine cervix.

Spontaneous annular detachment of the uterine cervix during labour is a rarely encountered obstetric complication that may pass unrecognized. The aetiological factors involved in its development remain incompletely understood. In this report, a case of a 40-year-old multiparous woman in whom annular detachment of the cervix passed completely unnoticed in the course of a spontaneous vaginal delivery to become evident, for the first time, during subsequent delivery is presented. Intriguingly, pelvic examination revealed an absent portio vaginalis of the cervix; the external cervical os was replaced by a small fibrosed opening. Fertility was well preserved, despite marked cervical fibrosis. A transverse lower segment caesarean section with tubal sterilization was carried out. The postoperative course was uneventful and likewise, the course of the puerperium was benign.