Real-time ultrasound to assist during a vaginal breech delivery.

We report a novel application of intrapartum sonography, herein used to assist the internal podalic version and the vaginal delivery of a transverse-lying second twin. Following the vaginal delivery of the first cephalic twin, the internal podalic version was performed under continuous ultrasound vision, leading to the uncomplicated breech delivery of a healthy neonate.

Effect of the "shoulder-up" bundle on the incidence of spontaneous perineal injury after vaginal delivery: comparison of 2 historic cohorts after propensity score matching.

BACKGROUND: Perineal injury following vaginal delivery represents a major cause of long-term maternal morbidity, and its prevention is among the priorities of modern obstetrical practice. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether the systematic implementation of a bundle of maneuvers to prevent perineal injury (ie, the "shoulder-up" bundle) may reduce the rate of spontaneous perineal tears in women delivering at a single tertiary maternity unit. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single-center retrospective intervention study including all vaginal deliveries between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022. On March 1, 2021, a bundle focused on perineal injury prevention in vaginal deliveries was implemented and introduced as a standard of care. The "shoulder-up" bundle includes the addition of a hands-on technique for the delivery of the posterior shoulder, which is slowly lifted up under the direct visualization of the perineal body, immediately after the disengagement of the anterior shoulder. The labor ward staff underwent dedicated training to acquire expertise on the "shoulder-up" bundle. Little changes in terms of medical and midwifery staffing were recorded during the study period. The incidence of spontaneous second-degree or higher perineal tears was compared between the patients who gave birth before the clinical implementation of the bundle (standard-care group) and those who were delivered following the implementation of the bundle (shoulder-up group). A 1:1 propensity score matching of the 2 groups was done for the variables that proved to be independently associated with the perineal outcome. RESULTS: From April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022, 3671 patients had a vaginal birth at our tertiary care unit (1786 in the standard-care group and 1885 in the "shoulder-up" group) and were enrolled in the study population. Of these, 1191 (32.4%) had a spontaneous second-degree or higher perineal tear. At univariate analysis, nulliparity (59.6% vs 39.1%; P<.001), higher gestational age at delivery (39.8±1.28 vs 39.4±1.97 weeks; P<.001), epidural analgesia (40.6% vs 31.2%; P<.001), vacuum-assisted delivery (9.6% vs 4.0%; P<.001), and birthweight >4 kg (11.0% vs 6.3%; P<.001) were independently associated with the perineal outcome. Following propensity score matching for the above cited factors, the 1703 patients of each group were compared. A significant increase in the rate of intact perineum (71.0% vs 64.1%; P=.014) and a reduction in the incidence of second- (27.2% vs 32.9%; P=.006) and third to fourth-degree perineal tears (1.3% vs 3.0%; P<.001) was demonstrated in the "shoulder-up" group. Among the subgroup of patients undergoing vacuum-assisted delivery, a borderline significant reduction in the rate of obstetrical anal sphincter injury (10.4% vs 2.9%; P=.052) was also observed. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the clinical implementation of the "shoulder-up" bundle at vaginal delivery is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of spontaneous second-degree or higher perineal tears.

Evaluation of the uterine scar stiffness in women with previous Cesarean section by ultrasound elastography: A cohort study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate by means of elastography if the quantitative assessment of the cesarean scar elasticity is feasible using as reference the surrounding intact myometrium and to investigate if the cesarean scar stiffness is influenced by the clinical characteristics of the previous cesarean delivery. METHODS: Prospective study including women with a previous Cesarean Section (CS) ≥ 37 weeks' gestation performed 12-15 months before. By transvaginal ultrasound two regions of interest (ROI) were selected: uterine scar (Region 1) and surrounding myometrium (Region 2). Strain index (SI) for each ROI was calculated and the Strain Ratio (SR) was defined as Region 1 SI/Region 2 SI. The primary outcome was to compare SR among women who were grouped in accordance to presence of previous vaginal delivery, CS during labor, type of suture or pyrexia during post-partum. The secondary outcome of this study was to evaluate the correlation between SR and maternal, neonatal and labor characteristics. RESULTS: 68 women were included. The mean SR was 1.8 ± 0.7 thus indicating an increased stiffness of the uterine scar compared to the surrounding myometrium. No significant differences were found in terms of SR according to presence of previous VD, CS during labor, type of suture or pyrexia during post-partum period. Strain Ratio was not correlated to maternal characteristics nor to labor and neonatal outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of uterine scar stiffness is feasible by using elastography. The stiffness of the uterine scar is higher than that of the surrounding myometrium and is not correlated to maternal and labor characteristics.

Prediction of fetal macrosomia using two-dimensional and three-dimensional ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: The estimation of the fetal weight by three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) with fractional thigh volume (TVol) has been suggested to be more accurate than two-dimensional (2D) US particularly within the context of fetuses at risk of macrosomia. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of 2D US and 3D US with two different methods of projection for the identification of fetal macrosomia at term. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study which included women at risk for fetal macrosomia referred for fetal biometry between 34+0-36+6 weeks. The estimated fetal weight (EFW) was computed using 2D US and the Hadlock Model IV or through 3D US and the Model VI by Lee et al. The projection of the EFW at the time of delivery was performed by using Yudkin's chart percentiles and the gestation-adjusted projection (GAP) method. RESULTS: Overall, 230 patients were included. Paired comparison between 2D-US-EFW and 3D-US-EFW with either method of projection of the EFW at birth suggested different properties of the techniques, being 2D-US-EFW associated with higher sensitivity and 3D-US-EFW with higher specificity, PPV and LR + . At ROC curve no difference was found in the prediction of birthweight ≥90th centile using 2D-US-EFW or 3D-US-EFW (AUC 0.831, 95%CI 0.768-0.894 versus AUC 0.860, 95%CI 0.799-0.920, respectively, p 0.37) nor in the prediction of birthweight >95th centile with 2D-US-EFW compared to 3D-US-EFW (0.803, 95%CI 0.731-0.874 versus 0.866, 95%CI 0.805-0.926, respectively, p 0.07). Similarly, a non-significant difference in the accuracy of the prediction of birthweight >4000 g (AUC 0.788, 95%CI 0.716-0.859 for 2D-US-EFW vs AUC 0.802, 95%CI 0.723-0.880 for 3D-US-EFW, p 0.72) and >4500 g (0.828, 95%CI 0.720-0.936 for 2D-US-EFW vs 0.858, 95%CI 0.759-0.956 for 3D-US-EFW, p 0.71) with the GAP method could be demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: Within a population at risk of fetal macrosomia the performance of 3D-US-EFW is similar to that of 2D-US-EFW in the prediction of macrosomia at term regardless of the method used for the projection of the EFW, however different properties were noted between the two techniques. Such finding suggests a potential complementary role of the techniques which warrants evaluation in future research.