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Twin delivery after a previous caesarean: a twelve-year experience
Andrée Sansregret1, Emmanuel Bujold, Robert J Gauthier
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ste-Justine Hospital, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Objectives:
To compare maternal and neonatal morbidities between trial of labour (TOL) and elective Caesarean section in women with twin pregnancies who have had a prior Caesarean.
Methods:
An observational study was conducted of women with a prior Caesarean who delivered twins at 28 weeks gestation or greater in Ste-Justine Hospital between 1988 and 2001. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared between women who had a TOL (group 1) and those who had an elective Caesarean delivery (group 2).
Results:
Twenty-six women and 52 fetuses were included in group 1 and compared to the 71 women and 142 fetuses in group 2. Maternal age, gestational age, and birth weight were comparable in both groups. In group 1, 22 (85%) out of 26 women delivered twin A vaginally and 19 (73%) delivered both vaginally. There was no significant difference in the umbilical artery cord pH, Apgar score, ventilatory support, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit between the 2 groups. There was also no significant difference in the rate of postpartum maternal fever or decrease of serum hemoglobin between the 2 groups, but the median hospital stay was higher in the group with elective Caesarean (5.0 vs. 3.0 days, p <0.001). There were no uterine ruptures or other major complications in either group.
Conclusion:
There were no significant differences in maternal and neonatal morbidity outcomes between births by trial of labour and by elective Caesarean, in twin pregnancies after a prior Caesarean section. A trial of labour is associated with a shorter hospital stay.