[Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery: can the trial of labor be extended]. / Accouchement des utérus cicatriciels: peut-on élargir l'épreuve utérine?

ABSTRACT

Based on a retrospective analysis of 1000 cases of scared uteri following cesarean section(s) (one cesarean, n = 857, 85.7%); two n = 129, 12.9%; three n = 14, 1.4%), we tried to answer two questions. Is trial of labor in case of low segment uterine-scar (excepting pelvic abnormalities, corporeal scar and more than two scars) free of risk for the mother and child? Can trial of labor be extended to cases of breech presentation, two previous cesarean sections, twin pregnancy and suspected macrosomia? In this series, the cesarean was indicated before labor in 138 cases (13.8%). Trial of labor was conducted in 862 cases (86.2%), and led to vaginal birth in 728 (84.5%). Successful trial of labor was observed in 75% of twin pregnancies, in 100% of breech presentations and in 69.6% of macrosomic infants. Uterine rupture occurred in 23 cases (2.7%), especially in cases with unknown corporeal scars (15 cases). No case of perinatal death related to uterine rupture was observed in this series.