Geburtseinleitung am Termin

Mechanical methods (balloon catheter, natural or synthetic dilators, amniotomy, sweeping of membranes) are the oldest methods to ripen the cervix or to induce labor. Synthetic prostaglandins have, however, increasingly replaced the use of mechanical methods in industrialized countries while in developing countries these methods are still the most frequently used as they are cheap, reversible, and usually do not require fetal monitoring. The mechanical methods in use today usually employ a Foley catheter. Compared with prostaglandins or oxytocin, Foley catheters are equally safe and effective. Moreover, in women with unfavorable cervix, cervical ripening with a Foley catheter seems to be more effective and associated with a lower operative delivery rate. In particular, in women with a previous cesarean delivery, the use of the intracervical Foley catheter must be considered the method of choice for maturation of the cervix, since it is safe with a uterine rupture rate similar to that associated with spontaneous labor.