[Indications and prognosis of forceps delivery at the University Hospital Center of Dakar].

Based on a study of 382 cases registered in a five years periods (1992-1996), the prevalence of forceps delivery is evaluated at 16 per 1000 deliveries. Averagely these are young (24.5 years), primipare (63%) at term and having problems of abnormal labour. The mains indications are: assistance of expulsion (47.1%), severe foetal distress (15.6%), scarred uterus (15.2%) and eclampsia (8.9%). The most frequent applications are the occipito-pubic grasp (51.3%) and left anterior occipito-iliac grasp (34.8). The maternal morbidity prognosis (6%) is represented by cervical or vaginal traumas and infections. The neonatal prognosis is marked by neonatal mortality rate of 50 per 1000 of life deliveries and by a morbidity rate of 3.4% essentially represented by cutaneous lesions.