Methods of Induction of Labour at the University Of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri: A 4-Year Review

Background: Induction of labour is an important intervention in obstetrics. Misoprostol is increasingly being used for induction of labour in many obstetric units and it may replace the traditional Foleys catheter/oxytocin protocol. Method: This was a retrospective study of the 3 methods of induction of labour used at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). A total of 468 women had induction of labour during the study period. Two hundred and twenty eight of them had induction with 50μg of misoprostol, 57 women had 100μg of misoprostol while 183 women had extra-amniotic Foleys catheter with oxytocin infusion. Result: Induction of labour constituted 6.6% (468/7086) of all deliveries during the study period. The commonest indication for induction of labour was prolonged pregnancy in 46.8%, followed by pregnancy induced hypertension in 33.5%. There was no difference in the achievement of vaginal delivery between the 3 methods of induction of labour (x2=1.13, p=0.57). The mean induction delivery time was shortest for those induced with 100μg of misoprostol (6.38+2.25 hours), followed by 8.16+3.58 hours in those induced with 50ug of misoprostol and 9.73+4.32.43 hours in those induced with Foleys catheter/oxytocin (p Keywords : Misoprostol, Foleys catheter, Oxytocin, UMTH. Nigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 17 (2) 2008: pp. 139-142