[Is the Mauriceau maneuver deleterious? Study of 103 cases]

The Mauriceau manoeuvre has a poor reputation in France where some obstetricians believe it leads to an increase in the number of neonatal traumal injuries. To evaluate this hypothesis we examined the results of a personal series of 103 cases of breech extraction where foetal head extraction was performed using the Mauriceau manoeuvre. Our study showed that the level of traumal complications was not worse than that of the general neonatal population. We therefore conclude that this active and organized method of breech delivery is safe and provides a young obstetrician with valuable experience of practical obstetrical manipulation.