Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a misoprostol vaginal insert as an induction-of-labor (IOL) agent in women with an unfavorable cervix (Bishop score < 2) in achieving vaginal delivery (VD) within 48 h, depending on the gestational week, with particular emphasis on the cesarean section (CS) percentage, intrapartum analgesia application and possible side effects, such as tachysystole ratio.
Methods: In this retrospective observational study involving 6000 screened pregnant patients, 190 women (3%) fulfilled the study inclusion criteria and underwent vaginal misoprostol IOL. The pregnant women were collected into three groups: patients who delivered at up to 37 weeks of gestation (<37 Group)-42 patients; patients who delivered between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation (37-41 Group)-76 patients; and patients who delivered after 41 weeks of gestation (41+ Group)-72 patients.
Cervical ripening is defined as the significant softening of the cervical tissue that usually begins before the onset of contractions during labor, and is required for cervical dilation and delivery. Osmotic dilators are medical implements that dilate the uterine cervix by increasing in size as they absorb fluid from the surrounding tissue. This article aims to review the mechanisms and applications of osmotic dilators for cervical ripening in the induction of labor and in gynecology procedures.
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