Episiotomy
Kyle Barjon, Heba Mahdy, Kyle Barjon, Heba Mahdy
Excerpt
The episiotomy is a technique originally designed to reduce the incidence of severe perineal tears (third and fourth-degree) during labor. The general idea is to make a controlled incision in the perineum, for enlargement of the vaginal orifice, to facilitate difficult deliveries. Ideally, an episiotomy would relieve pressure on the perineum resulting in an easily repairable incision when compared to uncontrolled vaginal trauma. The different types of episiotomy incisions include the midline, the modified-median, the mediolateral, J-shaped, lateral, anterior, and radical. The two most common techniques are midline (the US and Canada) and mediolateral (Europe). In the United States, episiotomy was once a widely used technique until 2006 when the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) made a recommendation against its routine use. However, the selective use of episiotomy still has utility and should be performed based on clinical judgment and maternal or fetal indications. To this day, some countries still perform episiotomy routinely.
Conflict of interest statement
Disclosure: Kyle Barjon declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Disclosure: Heba Mahdy declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Copyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC.
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Source: PubMed