OBJECTIVES To study the effect of ritodrine tocolysis on the success of external cephalic version (ECV) and to assess the role of ECV in breech presentation at our centre. MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective randomized double-blind-controlled trial comparing ritodrine and placebo in ECV of singleton term breech pregnancy at a tertiary hospital. RESULTS Among the 60 patients who were recruite...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of external cephalic version (ECV) when its use was introduced in the routine management of breech presentation and transverse lie after 36 weeks by obstetricians with limited prior experience with the procedure. The influence of various factors on the outcome of ECV was also studied. METHODS Retrospective study of 44 cons...

OBJECTIVE To describe currently accepted methods for managing the term breech pregnancy, and to predict the delivery outcomes and costs of each method. METHODS Literature review was used to derive four options for the peripartum management of the term breech pregnancy. Using decision-analysis techniques, we calculated the predicted delivery outcomes and costs associated with each option. RE...

In approximately 2*5 per cent, of labours at term the child is found to be presenting by the breech, and in some 40 per cent, of these the patient is a primigravida. So far as the mother is concerned, there is only a slightly increased risk to life as compared with vertex presentations, such an increase resulting from a more prolonged labour and the possible necessity for operative interference...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the increased cesarean rate for term breech presentation on neonatal outcome. We also investigated whether the clinical case selection for vaginal delivery applied by Dutch obstetricians led to an optimization of neonatal outcome, or whether there is still room for improvement in terms of perinatal outcome. DESIGN Retrospective coh...

Breech delivery has a usual incidence of about 4 per cent, and virtually all obstetricians agree that the infantile mortality in these cases exceeds that of vertex delivery and the danger of serious injury to the baby is increased. The fetal hazard may be reduced, at some added risk to the mother, by extending the indications for Cesarian section, particularly in elderly primigravid patients, o...

OBJECTIVE external cephalic version (ECV) is a relatively simple and safe manoeuvre and a proven effective approach in the reduction of breech presentation at term. There is professional consensus that ECV should be offered to all women with a fetus in breech presentation, but only up to 70% of women eligible for ECV undergo an ECV attempt. The aim of the study was to identify barriers and faci...