Shoulder dystocia

Shoulder dystocia continues to represent a largely unpredictable and potent ially disastrous obstetric emergency. Recent attention has been focused on the effectiveness of obstetric maneuvers employed to alleviate shoulder dys tocia, Reports have also questioned the traditional thinking that brachial plexus injury is caused by application of excessive lateral traction to the fetal head. Rather, in-utero forces may underlie a significant portion of these injuries. (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.