BACKGROUND External cephalic version (ECV) should be offered for patients presenting with a noncephalic pregnancy that are willing to deliver vaginally. Various reports have evaluated predictors for successful ECV. Yet,… Click to show full abstract
BACKGROUND External cephalic version (ECV) should be offered for patients presenting with a noncephalic pregnancy that are willing to deliver vaginally. Various reports have evaluated predictors for successful ECV. Yet, none have reported a single-operator large cohort experience. We aim to analyze the outcome of referrals for ECV. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data. We performed a multivariate analysis of data with respect to ECV procedures performed by a single operator in a 6-year period. Maternal and fetal characteristics were compared between ECV success and failure groups. RESULTS Six hundred and two women underwent ECV. Of them, ECV was successful in 432 (71.7%). A multivariate binary logistic regression model demonstrated that high liquor volume was a predictor of ECV success (Adj OR 1.17 [95% CI 1.09-1.26]). Failure of ECV was correlated with anterior placenta (0.44 [0.56-0.76]) and nulliparity (0.21 [0.11-0.36]). Adverse events were rare and mostly minor, occurring in 1% of procedures. CONCLUSIONS ECV has a high success rate and a low complication rate, enabling vaginal birth and avoiding cesarean. The role of manipulation of modifiable determinants such as liquor volume should be further assessed in future studies.
               
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