Objective: Our study was designed to explain determinants of nonprogressive labor in nulliparous patients.
Study design: One hundred consecutive nulliparous patients have got a cesarean section for active-phase arrest of labor after two hours of active management. Intrauterine pressure was monitored for all of them and a X-ray pelvimetry was done after surgery.
Results: Eighty-three percent of patients showed X-ray data considered as normal; hypotonic labor was found in 50% of cases and occiput posterior position in 60%.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that occiput position and functional dystocia are more common in case of nonprogressive labor than abnormal measurements of the obstetrical pelvis.