Abstract
Objective: To retrospective review a trial of labor after prior caesarean delivery in properly selected patients. Methodology: This study was carried out at Buraidah Maternity Hospital, Saudi Arabia from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014. It involved a relatively homogenous patient population who were delivered with a history of previous cesarean section. Sample selection criteria was according to non-probability sampling. Results: There were a total of 192 patients who had prior lower segment cesarean section. Eleven patients had elective lower segment cesarean section and were not included in the study. Thus, a total of 181 patients underwent a trial of labor and 143 (79%) experienced successful vaginal delivery. When the primary cesarean section was for breech, 23(76.6%) delivered vaginally, 14(73.6%) failed to progress and 37(71.16%) for fetal distress. There was only one patient who had emergency laparotomy due to uterine rupture but the baby survived. Conclusion: Vaginal delivery following cesarean section does not cause substantial morbidity or mortality either to the mother or the neonate and may be practiced with a reasonable margin of safety in well selected cases. Key words: Prior cesarean section, vaginal delivery, mortality.
