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To evaluate the safety and integrity of uterine scar at repeat cesarean section in patients with previous one cesarean section (C/S). A prospective study was Carried out in a tertiary care, obstetric unit over a period of one year, 2010. All pregnant mothers who underwent cesarean section either emergency or elective with history of previous one cesarean sections were included in this study. The variables noted were age, parity, socioeconomic status, residential area, location of previous cesarean section, previous wound infection and associated complaints. Data was analyzed on SPSS 11 Operative findings during cesarean sections were recorded in terms of thinning of scar, dehiscence or rupture. One hundred and twenty cesarean section patients were included in the study. Out of all patients, extreme thinning of scar was noted in 28 (23.33%) patients. Four patients (3.33%) had scar dehiscence,only 3( 2.5%) patients with scar dehiscence had associated complaint of scar tenderness, while 17 (14.16%) of 120 cases of scar thinning were having scar tenderness. All 4 cases of scar dehiscence had their previous c/s at peripheral hospitals. No patient underwent hysterectomy and all patients with scar dehiscence had successful repair. Our findings shows relatively inadequate scar thickness rate but at the same time relatively acceptable scar dehiscence rate. Thus it seems to be a safe approach to make trial of labour after meticulous scrutinization and individualization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/akmmcj.v3i1.10108 AKMMCJ 2012; 3(1): 16-19

Purpose To determine the risk of uterine rupture for women undergoing trial of labour (TOL) with both a prior caesarean section (CS) and a vaginal delivery. Methods A systematic literature search was performed using keywords for CS and uterine rupture. The results were critically appraised and the data from relevant and valid articles were extracted. Odds ratios were calculated and a pooled estimate was determined using the Mantel–Haenszel method. Results Five studies were used for final analysis. Three studies showed a significant risk reduction for women with both a previous CS and a prior vaginal delivery (PVD) compared to women with a previous CS only, and two studies showed a trend towards risk reduction. The absolute risk of uterine rupture with a prior vaginal delivery varied from 0.17 to 0.46%. The overall odds ratio for PVD was 0.39 (95% CI 0.29–0.52, P

Summary: A retrospective analysis was made of 456 patients who had previously undergone Caesarean section and who were considered suitable for a trial of labour. Sixty percent of patients had a vaginal delivery. Patients with obstructed labour or failure to progress as the indication for primary Caesarean section were significantly more likely to require a repeat operation but 44% of these patients still achieved a vaginal delivery. Patients who had had a vaginal delivery prior to, or subsequent to, the Caesarean section had a low incidence of repeat Caesarean section. X-ray pelyimetry was of limited value in predicting outcome. Intravenous oxytocin was used in 17% of patients. No uterine rupture occurred and no fetal mortality resulted directly due to the trial of labour. Trial of labour following Caesarean section is a safe procedure when conducted in an appropriate hospital setting.

In a trial of labour after caesarean section, X-ray pelvimetry has generally been regarded as an important part in the evaluation of patients before a decision is made. A review of 445 patients with trial of labour has shown that although the measurements of the pelvic inlet were greater in patients who delivered vaginally, the incidence of successful trial was not related to the measurements of the pelvis. Maternal height was also unrelated to the outcome. Only a history of previous vaginal delivery was predictive of a successful trial. The results suggest that X-ray pelvimetry is not neccessary in the majority of patients if the past obstetric history and the clinical assessment are in favour of a successful trial. It is only useful when there is doubt and in this case both a lateral and an antero-posterior film are necessary as the obstetric conjugate alone was unreliable in predicting the transverse diameter of the inlet as well as the outcome.

Obstetricians face difficult decisions when the interests of fetus and mother conflict. An example is the problem of choosing the delivery method when labour begins prematurely and the fetus is breech. Vaginal delivery involves risks for the breech fetus of brain damage or death caused by umbilical cord compression and head entrapment. Caesarean section might avoid these dangers but involves risks for the mother, including infection, haemorrhage and even death in a small percentage of cases. If a caesarean section is performed the infant might die anyway, due to complications of prematurity. Thus, decisions about delivery method involve balancing the risks to mother and fetus. Uncertainty about the frequency of fetal injuries in vaginal breech deliveries adds to the difficulty of these decisions.

Summary. The outcome of 313 mature singleton breech deliveries, covering a 3-year period at the Queen Charlotte's Hospital, is reviewed. Maternal and fetal outcome were analysed by the intention to deliver vaginally compared with planned caesarean section. There was no serious fetal morbidity or mortality in either of these groups despite considerable mechanical difficulty with vaginal delivery of the head in one patient. One woman in this group required hysterectomy for haemorrhage after an emergency caesarean section. Planned caesarean sections were carried out in 125 cases (40%). Trial of vaginal delivery was abandoned in 59 (40%) of the 149 women where this was attempted. Epidural analgesia appears to increase the duration of the second stage of labour in those who were delivered vaginally. Younger women and those with smaller babies were more likely to succeed with a trial of vaginal delivery but there was no relation between birthweight and the radiological obstetric conjugate and success or failure of trial of labour.

We investigated the effect of head compression and acidaemia during labour in 25 African primigravidae. Evidence that head compression had occurred during labour was confirmed by both clinical and radiological means at the end of a trial of labour. No significant difference could be demonstrated in the quantity of fetal electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormality that occurred in the groups with marked head compression as compared to the groups without marked head compression. Deterioration in the fetal EEG to a flat record known as electrocerebral silence (ECS) was associated with the development of acidaemia. As fetal heart rate (FHR) decelerations appeared the percentage of ECS in the fetal EEG record increased significantly (P less than 0.05), and likewise, as fetal acidaemia developed a highly significant increase in ECS in the fetal EEG was demonstrated (P less than 0.001). We concluded that in the management of trial of labour there was no significant deleterious change in the fetal EEG as a result of head compression, unless fetal acidaemia supervened. However, in the majority of these cases a significant increase in ECS to more than 20 per cent occurred in association with only moderate acidaemia (pH 7.25 to 7.30).

Between 1982 and 1987, 506 women previously delivered by Caesarean section were subjected to a trial of labour. Vaginal delivery was achieved in 78.6% with only 1 true rupture of the scar (0.2%). There were no intrapartum or neonatal deaths. Moreover, 7 of the 8 antepartum stillbirths were due to asphyxia, and, as the perinatal mortality rate for the study group was higher than for the overall population, the need for antenatal surveillance in previously sectioned patients is emphasized. Induction of labour was performed in 127 patients with 74.1% achieving vaginal delivery. Oxytocin was administered to 162 patients for either induction or augmentation of labour and 80.3% had a vaginal delivery, with 1 true rupture and 4 bloodless dehiscences. It is concluded that trial of labour following prior section is associated with little risk of true rupture, and with no added risk to the fetus. Our policy and management has helped maintain over the past 5 years an overall moderate Caesarean section rate (10–11%) with a low perinatal mortality rate.

A total of 563 white primigravid patients at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, were recruited in a prospective study to examine the association between maternal height, shoe size, and the outcome of labour. There was a significantly increased caesarean section rate in women of short stature but no association between mode of delivery and shoe size. Babies born vaginally had heavier birth weights with increasing height and shoe size. Babies born by caesarean section were heavier than those born vaginally, but their birthweight showed no relation with either height or shoe size. Shoe size is not a useful clinical predictor for the probability of cephalopelvic disproportion, and, although maternal height is a better clinical guide to pelvic adequacy in labour, 80% of mothers less than 160 cm tall delivered vaginally. A well conducted trial of labour should be considered in all primigravid patients with cephalic presentation irrespective of maternal height or shoe size if no obstetric complication exists.

All cases referred for pelvimetry in 1970-1 and all breech presentations referred for pelvimetry in 1972-4 were reviewed. Indications for pelvimetry fell into four main categories: high head in the antenatal clinic (47-8%); high head in labour (13-9%); breech presentation (20-9%); and previous caesarean section (14-8%). In the first two categories pelvimetry rarely if ever influenced management, and it should not be performed routinely. In breech presentation and cases of caesarean section pelvimetry seemed to be of value, but in the latter group it should be performed puerperally to avoid the known radiation hazard to the fetus. A fairly close correlation between obstetric conjugate and pelvic capacity was shown, which suggested that a 3400-g baby might pass through a pelvis of obstetric conjugate of 10 cm as a cephalic trial of labour, but would need an obstetric conjugate of 11-7 cm for safe vaginal breech delivery.

Background Maternal mortality in referral hospitals in Mali and Senegal surpasses 1% of obstetrical admissions. Poor quality obstetrical care contributes to high maternal mortality; however, poor care is often linked to insufficient hospital resources. One promising method to improve obstetrical care is maternal death review. With a cluster randomized trial, we assessed whether an intervention, based on maternal death review, could improve obstetrical quality of care. Methods The trial began with a pre-intervention year (2007), followed by two years of intervention activities and a post-intervention year. We measured obstetrical quality of care in the post-intervention year using a criterion-based clinical audit (CBCA). We collected data from 32 of the 46 trial hospitals (16 in each trial arm) and included 658 patients admitted to the maternity unit with a trial of labour. The CBCA questionnaire measured 5 dimensions of care- patient history, clinical examination, laboratory examination, delivery care and postpartum monitoring. We used adjusted mixed models to evaluate differences in CBCA scores by trial arms and examined how levels of hospital human and material resources affect quality of care differences associated with the intervention. Results For all women, the mean percentage of care criteria met was 66.3 (SD 13.5). There were significantly greater mean CBCA scores in women treated at intervention hospitals (68.2) compared to control hospitals (64.5). After adjustment, women treated at intervention sites had 5 points’ greater scores than those at control sites. This difference was mostly attributable to greater clinical examination and post-partum monitoring scores. The association between the intervention and quality of care was the same, irrespective of the level of resources available to a hospital; however, as resources increased, so did quality of care scores in both arms of the trial. Trial registration The QUARITE trial is registered on the Current Controlled Trials website under ISRCTN46950658

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of uterine contractile activity on the outcome of trial of labour after caesarean section (TOLAC). DESIGN Secondary, blinded analyses of a prospective TOLAC cohort. SETTING Two labour wards, one in a university tertiary hospital and the other in a central hospital. POPULATION A total of 194 TOLAC parturients with intrauterine tocodynamometry during labour. METHODS Analysis of intrauterine pressure, frequency of contractions and baseline tonus of uterine muscle in 30-minute periods for 4 hours before birth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome: uterine contractile activity during TOLAC. Secondary aims: contributors associated with failed TOLAC and uterine rupture. RESULTS TOLAC succeeded in 74% of cases. Uterine contractile activity, expressed as intrauterine pressure, was significantly higher in successful TOLAC compared with failed TOLAC (210 versus 170 Montevideo units). The statistically significant risk factors of failed TOLAC, after multivariate regression analysis, were prolonged gestational age, reduced cervical dilatation at admission and lower mean intrauterine pressure. In cases of uterine rupture, contractile activity did not differ from that in failed TOLAC. Cervical ripening with a Foley catheter appeared to be a risk factor for uterine rupture, as well as cervical dilatation

Summary: 202 patients having had one vaginal delivery after a prior Caesarean section between 1980 and 1984 were followed-up to December, 1986; 77 of them came again for delivery during this time. Four elective Caesarean sections and 103 trials of labour were carried out in this patient group. Of these, 88 (85.4%) ended in vaginal delivery. There was no fetal loss, nor any significant maternal or fetal morbidity; in particular there was no uterine rupture or scar dehiscence. It is concluded that the prognosis for vaginal delivery is good once a successful trial of scar has occurred, so long as the labour is carefully monitored and a repeat Caesarean section performed when indicated.