to effect delivery
of the fetal shoulders,1 because of a discrepancy in size
between the fetal shoulders and maternal pelvic inlet.2 The
incidence in a general obstetric population is variously
reported between 0.2 and 3.3% of all births.2 Shoulder
dystocia is associated with a risk of well-recognised
complications both for the woman and her infant.
Maternal complications include an increased risk of both
postpartum haemorrhage and third- or fourth-degree