title: Finger-assisted stretching technique for cesarean section.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the perioperative outcomes of two cesarean section methods, the finger-assisted stretching technique (FAST), based on a modified Joel-Cohen method, with the traditional technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of the records of 416 women who underwent cesarean sections at Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea, between May 1993 and December 2001 was performed. Of the 416 women, 283 underwent cesarean sections with FAST and 133 with the traditional technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Operative time was significantly shorter with FAST (15.3 vs. 42.6 min, P<.05), and FAST was associated with lower blood loss (601 vs. 928 mL, P<.05) and shorter hospital stay (3.7 vs. 6.5 days, P<.05). There were no significant differences in wound infection, voiding difficulty, and postoperative adhesions between the two methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that FAST may be the better technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D020070:Cervical Ripening / Q000502:physiology; D002584:Cervix Uteri; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000379:methods*; D004106:Dilatation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors