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Published on: June 6, 2020
Planned vaginal delivery versus Caesarean section for breech presentation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perinatology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ife-Ife, Nigeria.
Background:
The optimum mode of breech delivery remains a matter of controversy among obstetricians worldwide.
Objective:
To determine whether term breech babies born by planned vaginal delivery are at higher risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity than those born by planned caesarean delivery.
Design:
A hospital based non-experimental comparison of outcome of breech delivery.
Setting:
Ife State Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife.
Subjects:
Two hundred and fourty four singleton breech deliveries occurring at term.
Main Outcome Measures:
They include low 5-minute Apgar score, birth trauma, maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
Results:
The perinatal mortality was not significantly different in both groups: OR 2.7 (95% C.I. 0.3-26.8). The low 5-minute Apgar scores were higher in the planned vaginal delivery OR 9.0 (95% C.I. 1-73.4), but the traumatic morbidity was not (OR 1.8, 95% C.I. 0.2-20.1). Maternal morbidity occurred more in the planned Caesarean delivery group OR 0.4 (95% C.I. 0.2-0.9).
Conclusion:
Given appropriate selection criteria and management protocol, the outcome from elective caesarean section might not be better than from planned vaginal delivery.
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