Table 2.
Histomorphometry
| Site I | Site II | Site III | Site IV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 mm from the epithelium | 2-4 mm from the epithelium | 4-6 mm from the epithelium | 6-8 mm from the epithelium | |
| ECM % | 78.7 ± 8.3 | 76.0 ± 7.4 | 76.5 ± 7.2 | 75.7 ± 4.6† |
| Muscle % | 8.9 ± 6.7 | 13.5 ± 7.1 | 13.8 ± 6.3 | 15.5 ± 5.3**.†† |
| Connective tissue nuclei % | 6.4 ± 2.9 | 3.8 ± 1.5 | 2.9 ± 1.1 | 2.9 ± 1.4**,†† |
| Blood vessels % | 6.0 ± 3.6 | 6.8 ± 4.3 | 6.7 ± 4.7 | 5.9 ± 4.2 |
| ECM/muscle ratio | 18.9 ± 20.3 | 8.4 ± 6.7 | 7.8 ± 7.8 | 5.7 ± 2.7**,†† |
Histological sections of cervical biopsies from non-pregnant women. Mean ± SD
*p > 0.05 against site I by Repeated Measures ANOVA
**p < 0.001 against site I by Repeated Measures ANOVA
† p < 0.05 comparison of site I-IV by test for trend
††0 < 0.001 comparison of site I-IV by test for trend