Pre-Induction Cervical Ripening: A Prospective and Comparative Study of Intra-Cervical Foley’s Catheter and Prostaglandin E2 Gel

Abstract

Background: Cervical ripening essentially refers to the process of softening the cervix in order to make it prepare for the induction of labor. The success of labor induction depends on the cervical status at the time of induction. There are various methods of cervical ripening; however, in this study we will compare two famous methods of cervical ripening; Foley’s cervical catheter and PGE2gel. Method: This prospective study was conducted at Lala-Ded Hospital, Srinagar from March 2016- September 2017. A total of 70 women fulfilling the defined inclusion criteria were enrolled for this study. They were randomly distributed into 2 groups, Group 1 (Foley’s catheter group) and Group 2 (PGE2 gel group) with 35 women included in each group. Patients at term with various indications for induction of labor were included in the study after a comprehensive written consent. Result: The age distribution between the groups was insignificant. We observed that average gestational age was comparable in both the groups with a p-value of 0.526. However, the average post induction Bishop’s score was significantly higher in group 1 compared to group 2with a p-value of 0.034. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that even though both the methods of cervical ripening are effective but with Foley’s intra-cervical catheter we witnessed a shorter induction delivery interval in comparison to PGE2 gel. Moreover, there was significant improvement in Bishop’s score with Foley’s catheter. Therefore, we suggest that in developing countries with limited resources Foley catheter is the optimal choice for pre induction cervical ripening in terms of cost effectiveness and attaining the desired results. Keywords: Cervical ripening, pre labor induction, Foley’s cervical catheter, PGE2 gel.