[Breech presentation at term: the caesarean section that is routinely advised is ultimately not safe for the child]

Recently, the results have become available on both the neonatal and the maternal outcome of deliveries after randomisation in the Term breech trial. At 2 years, in contrast to the original results in which perinatal death and serious neonatal morbidity were higher in the planned vaginal delivery group, no differences were evident in the combined outcdme variable, including death after delivery and neurodevelopmental delay. There were also no apparent differences between the two groups in neurodevelopmental abnormalities as screened by the ASQ postal enquiry. These are the most important findings that should be discussed with the parents during counselling regarding the mode of delivery of a foetus in breech presentation.