Epidemiology of cesarean sections: prolonged pregnancy.

The management of prolonged pregnancy is controversial when the cervix is not favourable to induction. From the results obtained by using topical PgE2 in postterm patients with unfavourable cervix, it is possible to conclude that in those subjects with preliminary cervical modifications (Bishop Score > 1) a regular onset of labour and spontaneous delivery were obtained. Conversely a high incidence of failure was shown in those subjects with no cervical maturation (BS = 0).