Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
The management of persistent occipito-posterior position
Persistent occipito-posterior position (POP) is found in about 1 % of labors, and its management is still controversial. A study group of 319 patients with POP deliveries were screened and analyzed for prepartum, intrapartum and postpartum parameters. A control group of the same size was matched for maternal age (mean 27-28 ± 5.22yrs), gravidit (mean 2.52 ± 1.95) and parity (mean 1.13 ± 1.67).Statistically significant differences were found between the study and the control groups regarding the incidence of instrumental (forceps/vacuum) deliveries, prolonged second stage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, prostaglandin E2 induction, premature rupture of membranes and episiotomy. A discussion is presented evaluating the possible significance of these findings. Although the high rate of instrumental deliveries encourages active management of POP labors, the authors advocate a more conservative approach.