[Obstetrical forceps: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Toward a new classification of obstetrical forceps].

Objective: Obstetrical forceps are used worldwide since more than 400 years. In 2003 forceps deliveries accounted for 6.3% of all deliveries of the AURORE Grand-Lyon perinatal network. Although more than 400 different forceps have been described, obstetrics handbooks neither describe experimental forceps nor provide any chapter dedicated to instrumental delivery training. Our aim was to provide junior obstetricians with information that will allow them to select the best instrument and to let them know about experimental as well as pedagogic forceps.

Patients And Methods: International literature review using the terms "forceps" and "delivery" and a four year experimental work involving a close collaboration between obstetricians and biomechanics of the INSA engineering school.

Results: Two instruments are presented as well as a new forceps classification.

Discussion And Conclusion: This classification distinguishes between three types of forceps: operational forceps designed to delivers neonates, experimental forceps designed to study biomechanics and training forceps designed for resident training. For the first time the classic blind forceps procedure is transformed in a full screen real time procedure.