Abirbhab Pal1
Intact amniotic fluid membranes may serve to protect the extremely fragile
preterm infant from some of the mechanical shearing forces caused by strong
uterine contraction. A “caul” delivery occurs when part of the amniotic sac is still
stuck to the neonate at the time of delivery, usually attached to the cephalic end
or podalic end. An “en caul” delivery is a subtype of caul delivery, which occurs
when the entire intact amnion (amniotic fluid sac) is delivered with the neonate
inside.1,2 This article introduces the technique of “en caul” Caesarean delivery and
reviews our experience.
Abdominal (or Caesarean) en caul deliveries can be performed intentionally
with surgical technique, on contrary to vaginal en caul deliveries, which occur
spontaneously; as a result, vaginal en caul deliveries are considered to be rarer
though exact statistics are difficult to determine. According to some estimates,
caul deliveries would be 1 - 2 %, or roughly 1 in 80,000, of all vaginal deliveries if
no membranes were artificially ruptured (ARM / Amniotomy).2,3
Most en caul births are low gravida, premature and low birth weight (LBW).
Prematurity is a significant risk factor for various postpartum complications and is
hazards. Previous case reports have poorly described pertinent maternal
information beyond gestational age at birth (e.g., past medical history, past
surgical history, familial history, and demographic data) which could be used to
analyse additional risk factors for en caul birth.
PRESENTATION OF
