Trial of labor without oxytocin in patients with a previous cesarean section.

Abstract

In a 30-month period, 261 of 557 (46.8%) patients underwent a trial of labor. Of these, 215 patients (82.4%) achieved vaginal delivery. The major controversial issues regarding vaginal delivery in patients with a prior cesarean section are oxytocin administration, the inclusion of patients with recurring indications, and the use of epidural analgesia. Oxytocin was not used in this study. When our results were compared to those of others who used oxytocin liberally we found that oxytocin augmentation was not a major factor in increasing significantly the success and vaginal delivery rate. We believe that oxytocin usage should be reserved for selected patients with well-defined indications. When the primary cesarean section was for cephalopelvic disproportion, 66.6% delivered vaginally. This success rate justifies the inclusion of these patients in a trial of labor. Epidural analgesia proved to be a safe and efficient procedure. There was no maternal or perinatal mortality related to trial of labor.