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Pfannenstiel versus Maylard incision for cesarean delivery: A randomized controlled trial
Pierre Ludovic Giacalone1, Jean Pierre Daures, Jacques Vignal
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France. pl-giacalone@chu-montpellier.fr
Objective:
To compare the Pfannenstiel incision with transverse muscle-cutting Maylard incision in women who had cesarean delivery.
Methods:
Patients were assigned randomly to a Pfannenstiel or Maylard incision. Postoperative treatment was similar for each group. Surgical characteristics, complications, postoperative pain (visual analog scale, analgesic use), and related quality of life (1- and 3-month self-administered questionnaires) were analyzed. Abdominal wall muscle recovery was compared objectively by dynamometer.
Results:
Fifty-four women had a Pfannenstiel incision and 43 had the Maylard incision. There were no differences in intraoperative characteristics, postoperative morbidity, or pain. Women's responses to the Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire at 1 and 3 months postoperatively and clinical and isokinetic testing for abdominal wall strength were similar between the two groups.
Conclusion:
Transecting the rectus muscle was no more deleterious than the Pfannenstiel incision. There was no difference in objectively measured abdominal wall strength.