Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 52, No 4, December, 2013
UDK 61
ISSN 0365-4478(Printed version)
ISSN 1821-2794(Online)
 

Correspondence to:

Ana Daneva Markova

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

State University Hospital of Skopje

Skopje, Macedonia

E-mail: anadaneva@yahoo.com

Original article    

UDC: 618.5

doi:10.5633/amm.2013.0404

Comparison of Foley catheter and prostaglandin E2 tablets for the induction of labor at term

Ana Daneva Markova¹, Marija Hadži-Lega¹, Milan Stefanović²

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, University Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia¹ University of Niš, Medical Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niš, Serbia²

The aim of the paper was to assess success rates and associated maternal and fetal risks, to determine the different methods of induction for labor at term, compare induction with Foley catheter and induction with naturally occurring prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) tablets in women with gestational age at term.

Two hundred and twelve women at term were included into the study, one group with Foley catheter, the second group with PGE2 tablets, with a maximum of two doses. The primary outcome measures were the admission-to-delivery interval and the induction-to-delivery interval. Secondary outcomes included cesarean section rate, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal safety outcome. Results were calculated by applying the Fisher’s exact test, c2-test, t-test and calculating the P-value using an alpha level of 0.05 for Type I errors.

The mean time from admission to delivery was 13.53h in the  Foley catheter group and 12.30h in the PGE2 group (P=0.090). The induction-to-delivery interval was also comparable between the groups (10.75h vs 9.37h), while the cesarean section rate did not differ significantly between them (7.61% vs 15.30%). More women in the misoprostol group had an instrumental delivery (12.38% vs 2.94%). The only significant difference in neonatal outcome was a larger number of babies born with Apgar score < 7 at 1 min in the Foley group. Maternal outcomes were not significantly different, except for a higher number of digital examinations in the Foley group.

Foley catheter is equally efficacious in labor induction and demonstrates a similar fetal and maternal safety profile to PGE2. Acta Medica Medianae 2013;52(4):21-26.

      Key words: induction of labor, Foley catheter, Prostaglandin E2, neonatal outcome