This document discusses abnormal fetal positions and presentations during labor and delivery. It defines malpositions as longitudinal lie with the fetus not in occiput anterior position (such as occiput posterior or transverse) and malpresentations as anything other than vertex (such as breech, face, brow, shoulder, or compound). Management may include external cephalic version, vaginal delivery with maneuvers, or caesarean section depending on the specific presentation and other factors.

1. MALPRESENTATION
S & MALPOSITIONS
By Ezmeer Emiral

2. TOPIC OVERVIEW
• Abnormal lie, malpresentation and malposition
• Malposition and its management
 OccipitoPosterior
 OccipitoTransverse
• Malpresentation and its management
 breech
 face
 brow
 shoulder
 compound

3. DEFINITIONS
• Abnormal lie where the long axis of the fetus is not
lying along the long axis of the mother’s uterus
 TRANSVERSE
 OBLIQUE
 UNSTABLE
• LONGITUDINAL (MAY BE EITHER CEPHALIC OR BREECH)
is NORMAL

4. DEFINITIONS
• Malposition where the fetus is lying
longitudinally and the vertex is presenting, but
it is not in the OccipitoAnterior (OA) position
OccipitoTransverse (OT)
 OccipitoPosterior (OP)

5. Occiput Anterior Positions

6. MALPOSITION
Malpositions include occipitoposterior and occipitotransverse positions of
fetal head in relation to maternal pelvis.
Occiput Posterior
Occiput Transverse
Arrested labor may occur when the head does
It is the incomplete rotation of OP to OA
not rotate and/or descend. Delivery may be
results in the fetal head being in a horizontal or
complicated by perineal tears or extension of
transverse position (OT).
an episiotomy.

7. Factors that favour malposition
Pendulous abdomen- in multiparae
Anthropoid pelvic brim- favours direct
O.P/O.A
Android pelvic brim
A flat sacrum-transverse position
The placenta on the ant. uterine wall

8. How to diagnose :
 Course of labour usually normal, except for prolonged
second stage (>2hours)
 Abdominal examination :
a) Lower part of the abdomen is flattened
b) Difficult to palpate fetal back.
c) Fetal limbs are palpable anteriorly
d) Fetal heart may be heard in the flanks
 Vaginal examination:
a) Posterior fontanelle towards the sacral-iliac joint (difficult)
b) Anterior fontanelle is easily felt, if head deflexed
c) Fetal head may be markedly molded with extensive caput,
making diagnosing correct station and position difficult. 8

9. Management:
 Spontaneous rotation to occiput anterior occur in 90% of
cases.
• Esp. in good uterine contraction, spacious pelvis, average
size fetus.
• If arrest of labour occur in second stage of labour
1. emergency Cesarean section
2. ventouse delivery.
9

10. DEFINITIONS
• Malpresentation where the fetus is lying longitudinally,
but presents in any manner other than vertex
 BREECH
 FACE
 BROW
 SHOULDER
 COMPOUND

12. MALPRESENTATION
Types:
• Breech 3 in 100
• Face 1 in 500
• Brow 1 in 2000
• Shoulder 1 in 300
• Compound

13. Breech Presentation
The perinatal mortality can be up to 4 times that of
vertex presentation.Complications are:
– Increased risk of prolapsed cord.
– Increased risk of CTG abnormalities.
– Mechanical difficulties with delivery of shoulders/head
Types of Breech Presentation:
Frank (Extended) Breech Presentation
Complete (Flexed) Breech Presentation
Footling Breech Presentation

14. ETIOLOGY
Maternal Fetal Placental
• Polyhydramnios • Prematurity • Placenta previa
• Oligohydramnios • Multiple pregnancy
• Uterine abnormalies • Fetal anomalies
(bicornuate, uterus) (hydrocephalus,
• Pelvic tumour anencephaly
• Uterine surgery

15. Frank Breech Complete Breech
The baby's bottom comes The baby's hips and knees
first, and the legs are flexed at are flexed so that the baby is
the hip and extended at the sitting cross legged, with
knees (with feet near the ears).
feet beside the bottom.
65-70% of breech babies are in
the frank breech position.

16. Footling Breech Kneeling Breech
One or both feet come first, with The baby is in a kneeling
the bottom at a higher position. position, with one or both legs
This is rare at term but relatively extended at the hips and flexed
common with premature fetuses at the knees. This is extremely
rare.

17. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- Management
At or after 36 weeks
Confirmation by ultrasound
Elective Caesarian Section
Vaginal breech delivery
External Cephalic Version
(ECV)

18. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- External Cephalic Version
• Attempt external cephalic version if:
– Breech presentation is present at or after 37 weeks
– Vaginal delivery is possible;success rate varies according to
experience’s hand mostly 50%
– Should be performed with tocolytics agent,should last not
more than 10 minutes,fetal heart rate trace must be
performed before and after procedure
– There are no contraindications (e.g. fetal abnormality,
placenta previa uterine bleeding, previous uterine surgery,
hypertension, multiple gestation, Oli- or Poly- hydramnios).

20. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- External Cephalic Version
• Risks:
– Placental abruption
– Premature rupture of the membranes
– Cord accident
– Transplacental haemorrhage(remember anti-D
aministration in Rhesus-negative women)
– Fetal bradycardia

21. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- Vaginal Breech Delivery
• Term Breech trial –3% increased risk of
increased perinatal mortality.Prerequisites:
• Criteria:
• Frank / complete • Experienced .Fetal blood
breech obstetrician in sampling from
• No evidence feto- breech delivery buttocks provides
pelvic disporpotion • Fetal well being accurate assesment
• Estimated fetal and progress of of acid base status
weight: <3.5Kg labour should be Epidural anesthesia
• Flexed fetal head carefully monitores maybe
advantageous.

22. Principle: Masterly inactivity(Hands-
off)
• The following points are important for the safe
conduct
of a breech delivery:
• Don’t be in hurry.
• Never pull from below and let the mother expel the
fetus by her own effort with uterine contractions
• Always keep the fetus with its back anterior
• Keep a pair of obstetrics forceps ready should it
become necessary to assist the aftercoming head
• Anesthetist and pediatrician should attend the
delivery
• Inform the operation theater, if C/S is needed.

23. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- Vaginal Breech Delivery
• Delivery of the buttocks
– Occur naturally
• Delivery of the legs and lower body
– Legs flexed  spontaneous delivery
– Legs extended  ‘Pinard’s manoeuvre’
• Delivery of the shoulders
– Loveset’s manoeuvre
• Delivery of the head
– Mariceau-Smellie-Veit manoeuvre
– Forceps delicery of the aftercoming head

24. Pinard’s manoeuvre
• In breech with extended legs
• once the groin is visible gentle pressure can be
applied to abduct the thigh and reach the
knee.
• The knee can be flexed with pressure in the
popliteal fossa and the leg delivered.
• Anterior leg is always delivered first.

25. BREECH PRESENTATION
-- Vaginal Breech Delivery
Loveset’s
manoeuvre
 This procedure automatically corrects
any upward displacement of arms.
 In Lovset’s maneuver baby’s trunk is
made to rotate with downward
traction holding the baby at the iliac
crest so that posterior shoulder comes
below symphysis pubis and the arm is
delivered by flexing the shoulder
followed by hooking at the elbow and
flexing it followed by bringing down
the forearm ‘like a hand shake’.
 The same procedure is repeated by
reverse rotation of 180 degree so that
anterior shoulder comes below the
symphysis pubis.

26. Mariceau-Smellie-Veit
Manoeuvre
Jaw flexion and shoulder traction—JFST(Mauriceau-
Smellie-Veit
Manoeuvre)
 Here the baby is allowed to rest on the left
supinated forearm of the obstetrition, with the
limbs hanging on either side.
 Left index and middle finger is placed on the
malar bones, while the right index and ring
fingers are placed on the respective shoulders
and the middle finger on the sub-occipital region.
 To achieve flexion, traction is now given in
downward and backward direction and
simultaneous suprapubic pressure is maintained
by the assitant until the nape of the neck is
visible.
 Thereafter, the baby is pulled in upward and
forward direction so that the face is born and by
depressing the trunk the head is born.

27. Face Presentation
- head is hyper extended
- presenting part is face
- denominator is chin (mentum)
- between glabella & chin
- presenting diameter is submentobregmatic (9.5cm)
• AETIOLOGY
Maternal Fetal
• Multiparity • Congenital Malformation
• Lateral obliquity of fetus (anencephaly)
• Contracted pelvis / CPD • Several coils of umbilical cord around
• Flat pelvis the neck
• Musculoskeletal abnormality (spasm/
shortening of extensor muscle of neck)
• Tumors around neck (congenital goiter)

28. FACE PRESENTATION
-- Diagnosis
• Is caused by hyperextension of the
fetal head so that neither the occiput
nor the sinciput are palpable on vaginal
examination.
• On abdominal examination, a groove
may be felt between the occiput and
the back.
• On vaginal examination, the face is
palpated, the examiner’s finger enters
the mouth easily and the bony jaws are
felt.

29. FACE PRESENTATION
-- Diagnosis
• The chin serves as the
reference point in
describing the position of
the head.
• It is necessary to
distinguish only chin-
anterior positions in which
the chin is anterior in
relation to the maternal
pelvis from chin-posterior
positions.

30. FACE PRESENTATION
-- Management
• Prolonged labour is common.
• Descent and delivery of the head by flexion
may occur in the chin-anterior position.
• In the chin-posterior position, however, the
fully extended head is blocked by the sacrum.
This prevents descent and labour is
impossible→ caesarean section

31. Brow Presentation
• The brow presentation is caused by partial extension of the
fetal head so that the occiput is higher than the sinciput.
• Causes same like face presentations,although some arise as a
resut of exagerated extension OP.
• Diagnosed in labour by vaginal examination:palpating
anterior frontanele,supraorbital ridge and nose.
• MGT: Only can be achieved by deliver by caesarean
section
Mentovertical D = 13.5cm

32. Shoulder Presentation
• Occurs as a result of transverse lie
or oblique lie
• Predisposing factors = placenta
previa,high parity,pelvic
tumour,uterine anomaly
• On abdominal
examination, neither the head nor
the
buttocks can be felt at the
symphysis pubis and the head
is usually felt in the flank.
• On vaginal examination, a
shoulder may be felt, but not
always. Delay in diagnosis risk cod
prolapse and uterine rupture.
• Delivery should be by Caesearean
Section.

33. Compound Presentation
• Occurs when an arm
prolapses alongside
the presenting part.
Both the prolapsed
arm and the fetal
head present in the
pelvis
simultaneously.

34. Management
• Replacement of the prolapsed
arm
• Assist the woman to
assume the knee-chest
position
• Push the arm above the
pelvic brim and hold it
there until a contraction
pushes the head into the
pelvis.
• Proceed with
management for normal
childbirth
• If the procedure fails or if the
cord prolapses, deliver by
caesarean section

35. SUMMARY
Presentation Management
Breech Vaginal delivery ± ECV/
Caesarean section
Face Vaginal delivery (chin-anterior)/
Caesarean section (chin-
posterior)
Brow Caesarean section
Shoulder Caesarean section
Compound Replacement of prolapsed arm
 Vaginal delivery/ Caesarean
section