Forceps deliveries and perineal lacerations

In our Department there were 23610 births from January 1981 to 30 September 1999. The overall number of forceps deliveries was 122 in the same time, decreased from 14,7/1000 births at 1981 to 0,79/1000 births at 1998. The overall number of cesarean sections was 6763, increased from 199,7/1000 births at 1981 to 347,9/1000 births at 1998. We know that a lot of indications for forceps delivery have become indications for cesarean section. We used the low forceps delivery. Medium and high forceps deliveries are no longer acceptable. Seventy-nine out of 122 forceps deliveries were made following these guide-lines. There were no vagino-perineal lesions in the 79 cases of low forceps deliveries carried out in our Department according to the guide-line set up for low forceps delivery.