Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026
Measuring 3D In-vivo Shoulder Kinematics using Biplanar Videoradiography
Published on: March 12, 2021
[Epidemiology of shoulder dystocia]
1Inserm U1153, épidémiologie obstétricale, périnatale et pédiatrique (équipe EPOPé), centre de recherche en épidémiologie et statistiques Sorbonne Paris Cité (CRESS), DHU risques et grossesse, université Paris Descartes, maternité Port-Royal, 6(e) étage, 53, avenue de l'Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France.
Objectives:
To synthetize the available evidence regarding the incidence and risk factors of shoulder dystocia (SD).
Methods:
Consultation of the Medline database, and of national guidelines.
Results:
Shoulder dystocia is defined as a vaginal delivery that requires additional obstetric manoeuvres to deliver the foetus after the head has delivered and gentle traction has failed. With this definition, the incidence of SD in population-based studies is about 0.5-1% of vaginal deliveries. Many risk factors have been described but most associations are not independent, or have not been constantly found. The 2 characteristics consistently found as independent risk factors for SD in the literature are previous SD (incidence of SD of about 10% in parturients with previous SD) and foetal macrosomia. Maternal diabetes and obesity also are associated with a higher risk of SD (2 to 4 folds) but these associations may be completely explained by foetal macrosomia. However, even factors independently and constantly associated with SD do not allow a valid prediction of SD because they are not discriminant; 50 to 70% of SD cases occur in their absence, and the great majority of deliveries when they are present is not associated with SD.
Conclusion:
Shoulder dystocia is defined by the need for additional obstetric manoeuvres to deliver the foetus after the head has delivered and gentle traction has failed, and complicates 0.5-1% of vaginal deliveries. Its main risk factors are previous SD and macrosomia, but they are poorly predictive. SD remains a non-predictable obstetrics emergency. Knowledge of SD risk factors should increase the vigilance of clinicians in at-risk contexts.
