A ten-year evaluation of the incidence of obstetric anal sphincter injury with a reduced episiotomy rate

Key Points

• To evaluate how the incidence of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASIS) changed over ten years with varying episiotomy rates.
• Longitudinal evaluation over ten years
• Assessment of incidence rates in obstetric anal sphincter injury
• Comparison between nulliparous and multiparous women
• Analysis of vaginal and instrumental delivery cases
• Episiotomy showed protective effects against OASIS in nulliparous women during both normal and instrumental deliveries.
• In multiparous women, episiotomy reduced OASIS rates during instrumental deliveries but not during normal vaginal deliveries.