Episiotomies During Deliveries of Singletons in Cephalic Presentation: The Incidence can be Reduced
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1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University Teaching Hospital, Yaoundé & Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, P.O. Box 1364, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Objectives:
To verify if episiotomy rate could be reduced without compromising materno-fetal well-being.
Material And Methods:
This retrospective study was conducted between January 1 and December 31, 2010 in the maternity unit of the University Teaching Hospital Yaoundé (Cameroon). All cases of singletons in cephalic presentation with episiotomies done or not done during deliveries were recruited. Data were analyzed by means of SPSS 12.0. The Fisher's exact test was used for comparison. The level of significance was 0.05.
Results:
We performed 163 episiotomies (9.6 %). Main indications were rigid perineum, fetal weight ≥3,500 g, prolonged second stage of labor, and instrumental deliveries; 82.2 % of patients were nullipara. Mean 5th minute Apgar score was 9.2. Short term maternal complications were mainly perineal pain. Among fetuses delivered with or without episiotomy, no case of early neonatal death was recorded.
Conclusions:
The use of episiotomy can be reduced without increasing maternal and fetal morbidities.
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