A recent success story in preventing a miscarriage shows that timeworn methods such as bed rest and cerclage, a surgical technique to sew up the cervix, can be effective even though research indicates otherwise. A 2001 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (the research was conducted by doctors at the Wayne State University School of Medicine) concluded that cerclage did not reduce the risk of spontaneous pre-term delivery. Respected obstetricians say there\'s still a place for the surgery, however. The trick is figuring out who benefits.