Outcome of external cephalic version: our experience

The aim is to assess the outcome of external cephalic version (ECV) for term breech in our clinical setting and the factors involved. Patients with no contraindications and who consented to ECV were recruited into this prospective study. Terbutalin infusion was used. There were 42 ECV attempts of which 21 (50%) were successful. Seventeen of the patients with successful ECV delivered vaginally and 4 had cesarean section for various indications. Only 5 of the 21 unsuccessful ECV delivered vaginally. Thirteen had elective cesarean section and 2 had emergency cesarean during trial of breech. One patient from the unsuccessful ECV group was lost to follow-up. There were 31 (74%) primipara. The birth weight of the babies was not a significant factor in the outcome of ECV. The type of breech and parity did influence the success rate. External cephalic version should be included in the routine management of our breech presentation.