Moxibustion in breech version--a descriptive review.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Perinatal Health

Background:

• Breech presentation at term complicates delivery, with management options like external cephalic version having varying success rates.
• External cephalic version is safe when appropriately selected and anesthesia is avoided.
• Moxibustion, a heat therapy using Artemisia vulgaris, stimulates acupuncture points and is used for breech version.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential role of moxibustion in correcting breech presentation.
• To evaluate moxibustion as a safe and accessible alternative for managing breech presentation.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing studies on moxibustion for breech version.
• Discussion of moxibustion's technique, safety, and reported efficacy.

Main Results:

• Moxibustion has a reported success rate of 84.6% for breech version after 34 weeks gestation.
• The technique is described as cheap, safe, simple, self-administered, non-invasive, painless, and well-tolerated.
• Encouraging results exist, but definitive conclusions are limited by small sample sizes and lack of randomization.

Conclusions:

• Moxibustion may offer an additional, safe, and non-invasive option for managing breech presentation.
• Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to establish definitive evidence for moxibustion's efficacy.
• Moxibustion warrants consideration as a complementary therapy alongside conventional methods for breech presentation.