Foley catheter vs prostaglandins for cervical ripening and labor induction

January 01, 0001

Foley catheter vs prostaglandins for cervical ripening and labor induction

These Israeli authors performed a meta-analysis of publications comparing the efficacy and safety of cervical ripening and labor induction by Foley catheter balloon (FCB) vs locally applied prostaglandins (LAPG) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-seven randomized controlled trials (1966- 2008; 3532 participants) were selected from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL searches.

They found: "There was no significant difference between FCB and LAPG in cesarean delivery rates. LAPG had a significantly increased risk of excessive uterine activity. FCB had a significantly higher risk of oxytocin induction/augmentation during labor. Cervical prostaglandin-E2 was less effective, and vaginal prostaglandin-E1 bore a significantly higher risk of excessive uterine activity and meconium staining."

The authors concluded: "… that FCB and LAPG result in similar cesarean delivery rates, that FCB bears a higher risk of oxytocin use for labor induction and/or augmentation, and that LAPG carries a higher risk of contraction abnormalities."

Both are reasonable choices.


For the full abstract, click here.

Am J Obstet Gynecol 203(5):418-29, November 2010 © 2010 Mosby, Inc.
Foley catheter balloon vs locally applied prostaglandins for cervical ripening and labor induction: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Zvi Vaknin, Yaffa Kurzweil, Dan Sherman.

Category: W. Pregnancy, Childbirth, Family Planning. Keywords: cervical ripening, labor induction, Foley catheter, prostaglandins, meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 7 December 2010

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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