[Neonatal birth trauma in relation to the means of delivery]

The frequency of birth trauma has fallen considerably in recent years. This decline reflects in particular a greater tendency to perform a caesarean section when difficulties of delivery would appear. Birth trauma often causes not only early, but late and continuous illness in neonates. For this reason it is an important problem in neonatal practice. 1791 newborn have been investigated: 1515 (84.5%) by vaginal delivery, 177 (9.8%) by caesarean section, 38 (2.1%) by forceps, 18 (1.01%) by vacuum extraction and 43 (2.4%) by pelvic presentation. The results show the frequency of birth trauma (5.5%) and asphyxia (5.9%) by vaginal delivery and by operative methods (19.8%--S.C., 60.5%--F., 88.8%--V.E.) and their dependence on some factors: induction or stimulation of labor, meconium stained amniotic fluid, prolonged or extremely rapid labor.