Does mechanical dilatation of the cervix at non-labour caesarean section reduce postoperative morbidity?

Reduction of postoperative morbidity by mechanical dilatation of the cervix at non-labour caesarean? A randomized controlled trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12612000228886

Enrollment

500

Registered

2012-02-23

Start date

2012-02-01

Completion date

2013-09-30

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

In clinical routine some obstetricians routinely dilate the cervix from above during non-labour caesarean because they believe that the cervix of women without labour pain is undilated and may cause obstruction of blood or lochia drainage. However, this procedure may result in contamination by vaginal micro-organisms during dilatation, and increase the risk of infection or cervical trauma. An actual cochrane analysis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Mechanical%20dilatation%20of%20the%20cervix%20at%20non-labour%20caesarean%20section%20for%20reducing%20postoperative%20morbidity) stated that there is insufficient evidence of mechanical dilatation of the cervix at non-labour caesarean section for reducing postoperative morbidity. The autors concluded that further randomised controlled trials with adequate methodological quality comparing intraoperative cervical dilatation during non-labour caesarean section versus no mechanical dilatation for reducing postoperative morbidity are needed.

Interventions

Mechanical dilatation of the cervix using a surgical instrument (dilatator) at non-labour caesarean section. Description: After removal of the placenta the cervix will be dilated by a hegar uterine dilator (size 15). Duration circa one second.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Primary purpose

Treatment

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

0 to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

Greater than 23+6 weeks of gestation, non-labour caesarean section

Exclusion criteria

Sign of infection, running antibiotic therapy, opening of the cervix

Outcome results