Intrapartum Ultrasound for Assessment of Fetal Progression

Summary

The use of ultrasound has been suggested to support the management of labour. According to several studies, ultrasound examination is more accurate and reproducible than clinical examination in diagnosing fetal head position, fetal station, and the prediction of labour arrest. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that ultrasound in labour may predict the outcome of instrumental vaginal delivery: a support to assess when an operative delivery is necessary. Ultrasound in labour can be performed using a transabdominal approach, mainly to determine head and spine position, or a transperineal approach, to assess head station and the situation at low stations. Several sonographic parameters have been proposed to evaluate the head station.

Furthermore, all ultrasound parameters studied so far, have always been measured with the woman in a supine position. While the biomechanics of childbirth with its mechanisms (known as nutation, counter-nutation of the pelvis, and the coccyx retropulsion) together with maternal movement, promote fetal rotation and the adaptation of its diameters with those of the maternal pelvis, allowing to gain more room for the fetal descent. Moreover, in most of the studies on intrapartum ultrasound, the mobility of the pelvis has not been mentioned. The contracted pelvis is the absence of mobility that leads to fetal-pelvic disproportion, arrest of labour, and operative delivery. Maternal pelvis biomechanics studies by high technological techniques have shown that maternal shifting positions during pregnancy and childbirth can create more room in the pelvis for safe delivery. The external and internal pelvic diameters are closely related.

For this reason, the evaluation of the mobility of the pelvis appears to be a necessary element to understand the ability of that pelvis to widen its diameters for fetal descent.

The aim of the study is to measure the variation of AoP, HSD, HPD, PAA in the supine position and in kneeling-squat position in the same woman and the cut-offs of the new ultrasound parameters and predictive capacity for vaginal birth.

Conditions

• Labor, Obstetric

Interventions

OTHER

Transperineal imaging

To measure the difference between ultrasound parameters based on maternal position: to measure the variation of AoP (Angle of progression), MLA (Midline Angle), PAA(pubic arch angle expressed in grades) HSD (head-symphysis distance) HPD(head perineum distance) expressed in millimeters, in the supine position and kneeling squat position in the same woman during the expulsion phase, in the resting step and during the push.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Padova

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SCREENING

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-06-01

Primary Completion

2025-06-30

Completion

2025-06-30

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations