Intrauterine pressure wave form characteristics in hypocontractile labor before and after oxytocin administration

The data demonstrate that the contractions of hypocontractile active labor and normal spontaneous labor are different in several measures in addition to maximal amplitude. Furthermore, when the pathophysiology is corrected by the use of oxytocin, the contractions resemble those of normal spontaneous labor except in the maximal rate of tension development. Our data tend to support the subcellular model of uterine contractility, although the incompleteness of these models limits interpretation.