title: The descent of the fetal head is not modified by mobile epidural analgesia: a controlled sonographic study.
abstract: The aim of our study was to assess the sonographic indices of fetal head progression obtained by three-dimensional ultrasound during the second stage of labor in women with and without mobile epidural analgesia. Sonographic volume data sets were obtained with a transperineal approach every 20 min from the beginning of the active second stage until delivery. The ultrasound parameters were calculated off-line from each volume and compared between women with and without epidural analgesia. All the sonographic measurements of the fetal head descent were comparable at each time interval between the two groups. This observation suggests that mobile epidural analgesia is not likely to affect the dynamics of the second stage of labor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sant'Orsola Malpighi University Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maroni
authors.forename: Aly
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Rainaldi
authors.forename: Maria Viola
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turchi
authors.forename: Antonio Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Morselli-Labate
authors.forename: Alexandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paccapelo
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pacella
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Contro
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arcangeli
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pilu
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ghi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007748:Labor Stage, Second; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Intrapartum ultrasound; epidural analgesia; fetal head descent; labor; occipitoposterior; second stage