[Third- and fourth-degree post-delivery perineal tears : retrospective analysis and management adaptation]

Third- and fourth-degree perineal tears are injuries involving the anal sphincter that occur during vaginal delivery. Their prevalence is between 0.25 and 6 %, which highlights the variability of obstetrical practice among different countries. This type of tear can lead to short- and long-term complications for the mothers, affecting their quality of life. Therefore, it seems essential that their management should be optimal. In this study, we analyzed the records of all women who suffered from an obstetric anal sphincter injury between January 2015 and January 2021. During this period, out of 11222 vaginal deliveries, 61 records (0.54%) were retained. Maternal, fetal, and delivery-related risk factors were studied and were mostly similar to those found in the literature. However, the treatment of these lesions was very heterogeneous among patients and lacked standardization. A better management of these tears through the establishment of a decision algorithm would potentially reduce the long-term morbidity.