title: [Mechanical methods for cervical ripening in France: An evaluation of professional practices].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mechanical methods for cervical ripening are as effective as prostaglandins for the rate of vaginal delivery. Our aim was to study professional practices of mechanical cervical ripening in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  A declarative survey was conducted among two groups of maternity units: a sample representative of French maternity units (group 1) and on the whole of type 3 maternity units (group 2). A questionnaire was emailed to physicians of these obstetric units between May and July 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-three of the 104 units (41.3%) in the first group and 43 of the 64 units in the second group (67.2%) answered the questionnaire. Among these maternity units, mechanical methods were used respectively in 44.2 and 69.8% of the establishments. The two main devices used were the trans-cervical balloon catheter and the Foley catheter. The main indication for mechanical methods was induction of labor with prior caesarean. In case of induction of labor, a prior caesarean and a Bishop score < 7, in the first group, 46.6% of the maternity units did a caesarean, 32.3% performed an induction of labor with mechanical methods, 13.9% with oxytocin and 6.9% with prostaglandins. In the second group, 25.6% of maternity units performed a caesarean, 53.6% used mechanical methods, 9.3% used oxytocin and 11.6% used prostaglandins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In France nearly half of the maternity units and nearly three-quarters of type 3 maternity units say they use mechanical cervical ripening, mainly used in case of prior caesarean.
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France. Electronic address: julien.cirier@gmail.com.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Cirier
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Diguisto
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Arlicot
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Denis
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Potin
authors: Service d'obstétrique, centre Olympe-de-Gouges, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France; Inserm UMR U930, université François-Rabelais, 10, boulevard Tonnellé, 37000 Tours, France.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Perrotin
mesh_terms: D020070:Cervical Ripening; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007751:Labor, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Ballonnet trans-cervical; Cervical ripening; Déclenchement du travail; Foley catheter; Induction of labor; Maturation cervicale; Mechanical methods; Méthodes mécaniques; Sonde de Foley; Trans-cervical balloon