Letters

Long term outcome by method of delivery of fetuses in breech presentation

EDITOR,--P J Danielian and colleagues contend that a policy of vaginal breech delivery in selected cases of breech presentation is as safe as elective caesarean section with respect to long term disability.¹ In their editorial in the same issue M Hannah and W Hannah point out the need for a large randomised prospective trial to answer this question but assert that a policy of planned caesarean section for all breech deliveries would not only limit women's choices but give rise to substantial costs.²

Unfortunately, in our litigious society and with claims for compensation for severe disability regularly exceeding £1m when avoidable obstetric causes are found to have occurred, the situation may be murkier. According to Danielian and colleagues' study, one out of 1645 babies (that is, 0.0006 babies) presenting by the breech was born with severe disability "possibly attributable to delivery." . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Long term outcome by method of delivery of fetuses in breech presentation at term: population based follow up

P J Danielian, J Wang, and M H Hall
BMJ 1996 312: 1451-1453. [Abstract] [Full Text]