Operative and assisted delivery

Abstract

Decisions about the role of cesarean section, forceps, and vacuum delivery in obstetrics continue to be a challenging part of daily obstetric practice. Five interesting papers on this topic are reviewed, including a comparison of international rates of cesarean sections and vaginal births after cesarean section, the method of choice for the delivery of the low-birth-weight fetus presenting as vertex, the advantages of a prelabor cesarean section for a fetus diagnosed with meningomyelocele, and the appropriate role for the midforceps delivery in the 1990s.