[Incidence of persistent occipitoposterior positions with or without epidural anaesthesia (author's transl)]

The incidence of persistent occipitoposterior positions (POP-positions) during the period from 1969-76 in 7,469 vaginal deliveries was studied with respect to the influence of epidural anaesthesia (EA), parity and age. The EA-group consisting of 1,553 deliveries showed a higher number of POP-positions (4.3%) than in the two control-groups without EA (2.8%, 2.0%). The increase in the EA-group depended to some extent on the higher proportion of primiparae and thus younger parturients in this group. In addition a multiway frequency table analysis proved a specific interrelation between the increased frequency of POP-positions and the application of EA (p < 0.01). A selection of POP-positions for inclusion in the group of deliveries with EA could be excluded indirectly. The results are compared to those of other authors. Inquiring into the reasons for the relatively small increase of POP-positions in our EA-group discussion is made upon the advantages of a low-dose catheter EA.