Vaginal delivery versus caesarean section in preterm breech delivery: a systematic review

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomized studies that assessed the association between mode of delivery and neonatal mortality in women with preterm breech presentation. We searched Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane library for articles comparing neonatal mortality after VD versus CS in preterm breech presentation (gestational age 25+0 till 36+6 weeks). Seven studies, involving a total of 3557 women, met the eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review. The weighted risk of neonatal mortality was 3.8% in the CS group and 11.5% in the VD group (pooled RR 0.63 (95% CI 0.48-0.81)). We conclude that cohort studies indicate that CS reduces neonatal mortality as compared to VD.