REVIEW

Malpositions and percent of fetuses at term present with vertex. Other presenta-
tions (which are classified as malpresentations) include breech,

malpresentations of the fetal face, brow, shoulder or compound presentation. Vertex refers to
a diamond shaped area of the fetal head that is bounded by each

head parietal eminence and the anterior and posterior fontanelles

(Figure 1). It presents the smallest diameters of the fetal head to
the maternal pelvis (Figure 2).
Vikram S Talaulikar
‘Denominator’: is the fetal reference point used in defining
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran position. It is usually a prominent bony landmark at the
circumference of the presenting part e.g. occiput for vertex,
sacrum for breech, mentum (chin) for face and acromion for
shoulder presentation. For a brow presentation the denominator
Abstract is not fixed and either the sinciput (area of anterior fontanelle) or
In normal labour, the fetal head presents with the occiput in lateral posi-
occiput can be used.
tion in early stages of labour followed by anterior rotation in advanced
‘Position’: refers to the relationship of the denominator to the
labour. Malpositions of fetal head result when the occiput persists in
fixed points on the maternal pelvis such as pubic symphysis,
a lateral or posterior position while malpresentations occur due to exten-
iliopectineal eminence, sacroiliac joints and sacrum. For vertex
sion of the fetal head causing brow or face to present. Malpresentations
presentations, the occiput can occupy following positions in
of fetal head are usually diagnosed in labour and are associated with diffi-
labour e occipitoanterior, occipitotransverse or occipitoposterior.
cult labour and increased risk of operative intervention. Regular system-
‘Attitude’: refers to the degree of flexion or extension of the
atic clinical examinations to monitor progress of labour and fetal
fetal head with respect to the trunk. A well-flexed fetal head
wellbeing are necessary once the diagnosis is confirmed. Although
presents the most favourable diameters to the maternal pelvis. If
vaginal delivery is possible in many cases, caesarean section becomes
the fetal neck is deflexed, the leading part of the fetal head lies
necessary when the malposition or malpresentation persists and labour
more anteriorly and a brow presentation can occur while if there
fails to progress.
is complete extension of the fetal neck, the face then becomes the
leading part producing face presentation (Figure 3aec).
Keywords brow; face; malposition; malpresentation; occipitoposterior;
occipitotransverse; slow progress of labour

Introduction
Normal mechanism of labour involves a well flexed fetal head
that engages into maternal pelvis so that the occiput comes to lie
near one of the lateral aspects of maternal pelvis at the onset of
labour. As labour advances, progressive flexion and descent of
fetal head cause the occiput to rotate anteriorly when the head
reaches the pelvic floor. When this sequence of changes in the
position of fetal head is altered, a malposition or malpresentation
occurs. Malpositions or malpresentations of the fetal head are
usually diagnosed in labour and while in many cases vaginal
delivery is possible, they are associated with a more difficult
labour and increased operative interventions with attendant risks
to both the mother and the baby.

Definitions
The term ‘presentation’ refers to the part of the fetus which is
presenting to the pelvic inlet. It can also be defined as the part of
the fetus occupying the lower pole of the uterus. Nearly 95

Vikram S Talaulikar MD MRCOG is a Clinical Research Fellow at the

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. George’s Hospital
Medical School, London, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Sabaratnam Arulkumaran MD PhD FRCS FRCOG is Professor and Head of

the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. George’s Hospital Figure 1 Diamond shaped area of the fetal vertex bounded by each
Medical School, London, UK. Conflicts of interest: none declared. parietal eminence and the anterior and posterior fontanelles.

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 REVIEW

Clinical presentation and diagnosis

A thorough and systematic clinical examination is important for
diagnosis and further management of fetal head malpositions or
malpresentations.

Abdominal examination: periodic abdominal examination

should be performed in labour to assess descent and position of
fetal head. While the descent may be assessed by fifths of the
fetal head palpable above symphysis pubis, the relative positions
of sinciput and occiput may suggest the attitude of the fetal head.
Palpation may also provide a rough estimate of the fetal size/
weight and liquor volume.

Vaginal examination: vaginal examination often confirms the

findings of malposition or malpresentation. When performing
a systematic vaginal examination, station of the fetal head should
Figure 2 Vertex presentation with flexed attitude. be identified in cm above or below the ischial spines. Placement of
sutures and fontanelles should be confirmed by sweeping the
fingers across the fetal head. The inverted Y shaped suture lines or
Fetal head presentations and mechanism of labour
overlapping of parietal bones over the occipital bones in labour
The three Ps of normal labour e Power (Uterine activity), helps to identify the posterior fontanelle. Anterior fontanelle is felt
Passage (Maternal pelvis and soft tissues) and Passenger (Posi- as a soft diamond shaped depression at junction of four bones. If
tion and size of fetal head) all play an important role in the anterior fontanelle is felt easily near the centre of the pelvis it
successful vaginal delivery. As part of the normal mechanism of indicates the possibility of a deflexed head. If the amount of caput
labour, the fetal head descends and engages into the maternal makes examination difficult, it may be possible to feel the fetal ear
pelvis in a transverse plane in the late third trimester or just prior anteriorly. Care should be taken to feel the pinna and the canal, as
to the onset of or during labour. It most commonly lies in a left the ear can be folded and give a false impression of its position.
occipitotransverse position. As labour advances, with progres- Also, since the ear is just below the biparietal diameter, it can aid
sive descent and flexion, the occiput rotates to an anterior posi- in judging the descent of the head. Synclitism of the parietal bone
tion once it reaches the pelvic floor. With further uterine (level of parietal eminences in the pelvis) should be assessed by
contractions and descent, the head is born by extension of the feeling the relationship of the sagittal suture to the transverse
fetal neck followed by restitution. The head then undergoes plane of the pelvic cavity. Anterior asynclitism, in which the
external rotation as the shoulders continue their internal rotation anterior parietal bone is more easily felt and the sagittal suture is
to come to lie in the sagittal plane for delivery. The baby is then further back in the transverse plane, is normal. Posterior asyncli-
born by lateral flexion of the body. If the fetal head is not well tism however may be a sign of disproportion (Figure 5). Excessive
flexed, the presenting diameters to the pelvis are larger and this ‘Caput’ (soft tissue swelling of fetal scalp) and ‘Moulding’ (over
causes malpositions or malpresentations. The larger diameters riding of fetal skull bones) may suggest possibility of obstructed
can lead to slow progress or arrest of labour. The presenting labour due to cephalopelvic disproportion.
diameters associated with these different presentations at term In case of brow presentation, the orbital ridges and sinciput will
are listed in Table 1 and illustrated in Figure 4. form the prominent findings while in case of face presentation

Figure 3 (a) Well flexed fetal head in vertex presentation, (b) deflexed head in a brow presentation and (c) extension of the fetal neck in a face
presentation.

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 REVIEW

Different types of fetal head presentations, attitudes and anteroposterior diameters (transverse diameter is the
biparietal e 9.5 cm)
Presentation Attitude Anteroposterior diameter Length cm

Vertex Flexed vertex Suboccipitobregmatic 9.5

Vertex Semi-deflexed vertex Suboccipitofrontal 10.5
Vertex (occipitoposterior position) Deflexed vertex Occipitofrontal 11.5
Brow Semi-extended Mentovertical 13
Face Extended Submentobregmatic 9.5

Table 1

great care should be taken to avoid damaging the orbits which expressed as 1þ (apposition of the parietal bones at the suture
may be felt along with nose, mouth and malar bones. but no overlap), 2þ (overlap of parietal bones but reducible with
gentle pressure), 3þ (overlap of bones with difficulty in reducing
Signs of obstructed labour with gentle pressure).
The mother will be exhausted and show signs of dehydration
If the presenting part is too large for the pelvis, arrest of labour
such as tachycardia, pyrexia and oliguria. While in a primigravid
can occur. It is very important to be vigilant for signs of
woman, obstruction may be followed by the uterine inertia
obstructed labour and perform a timely operative delivery to
(weak or no contractions), in a multigravida the major risk is of
avoid adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes. Obstructed labour
violent uterine contractions leading to ruptured uterus.
is characterized by signs such as e arrest of cervical dilatation/
descent of fetal head, oedematous poorly applied cervix, Partogram
increasing caput and moulding, formation of Bandl’s ring which
may be visible or palpable per abdomen. Caput is a soft tissue Progress of labour should be closely monitored because slow
swelling of the fetal scalp and increase in its size with progress of progress of labour is the commonest manifestation of fetal
time is a subjective assessment. The degree of moulding is malpositions in labour. The partogram is a very useful tool which
can help in timely diagnosis and action for dystocia.

Obstetric outcomes associated with malpositions or

malpresentations of the fetal head
The presenting anteroposterior diameters associated Fetal malpositions or malpresentations are associated with the
with different presentations of fetal head following:

a d Anterior and posterior asynclitism

a Anterior parietal b Posterior parietal

bone presentation bone presentation
b

PS PS

(a) Suboccipitobregmatic – 9.5 cm (vertex);

S S
(b) Occipitofrontal – 11.5 cm (occipitoposterior);
(c) Mentovertical – 13 cm (brow); and
(d) Submentobregmatic – 9.5 cm (face). PS, pubic symphysis; S, sacrum

Figure 4 Figure 5

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 REVIEW

 Prolonged pregnancy presents a larger anteroposterior (occipitofrontal e 11.5 cm)

 Prolonged latent phase of labour diameter to the maternal pelvis. OP position may be sub-classified
 Primary dysfunctional labour/dystocia (slow progress) into right OP, left OP or direct OP (Figure 6). The majority of
 Secondary arrest of cervical dilatation in labour occipitoposterior heads will rotate to occipitoanterior in labour.
 Prolonged second stage of labour In cases with persistent OP position e with good uterine
 Obstructed labour contractions and roomy pelvis, spontaneous delivery can occur
 Operative interventions e dystocia or obstructed labour in direct OP position known as the ‘face to pubis’ delivery. In
leads to increased operative interventions either in the form most other cases of persistent OP positions in the second stage,
of instrumental delivery or caesarean section depending vaginal delivery may be achievable either by rotation to occipi-
upon the stage of labour and findings on clinical examination. toanterior position manually or with an instrument or a direct OP
delivery (face to pubis) by use of an instrument.
Occipitoposterior (OP) position
Diagnosis
Normally when the fetal head engages into maternal pelvis, the Inspection of abdomen may reveal flattening below the level of
occiput usually lies laterally and then undergoes rotation ante- umbilicus. On palpation limbs are easily felt anteriorly and it is
riorly during labour in four out of five cases. Occipitoposterior difficult to palpate the fetal back. The anterior shoulder is
position is thus present in about 20% of fetuses in the early palpated at some distance from the midline. The prominences of
stages of labour. However, even in these cases, most fetal heads sinciput and occiput can both be felt at the same level above the
further undergo spontaneous rotation to occipitoanterior by the pubic symphysis suggesting deflexion. Vaginal examination
time of delivery. Persistent occipitoposterior position therefore reveals the anterior fontanelle anteriorly and the posterior
occurs in approximately 10% of vertex deliveries. Occipitopos- fontanelle near the sacrum.
terior position is associated with a prolonged labour, increased
use of oxytocin, epidural analgesia, higher incidence of operative Prevention
deliveries as well as third or fourth degree perineal tears. A Cochrane review in 2007 assessed the effects of adopting
a hands and knees maternal posture in late pregnancy or
Causes during labour when the presenting part of the fetus was in
 High inclination pelvis a lateral or posterior position compared with no intervention.
 Android or anthropoid type pelvis Three trials (2794 women) were included. The authors repor-
 Use of intrapartum epidural analgesia (relaxation of the ted that the use of hands and knees position for 10 min twice
pelvic floor muscles) daily to correct occipitoposterior position of the fetus in late
Weak uterine contractions and a relaxed pelvic floor may pregnancy could not be recommended as an intervention.
contribute to the failure of the occiput to rotate anteriorly. However, the use of the position in labour was associated with
reduced backache.
Mechanism of labour
Unlike the occipitoanterior position where the head is well flexed Management
and presents the smallest suboccipitobregmatic (9.5 cm) diameter As many OP positions will spontaneously undergo rotation to
to the pelvis, in these cases the fetal head is deflexed and hence occipitoanterior during the course of labour, if OP position is

Occipitoposterior positions

a Right occipitoposterior b Left occipitoposterior c Direct occipitoposterior

PS PS PS

S S S

PS, pubic symphysis; S, sacrum

Figure 6

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 REVIEW

diagnosed in labour e an expectant management is recom- Occipitotransverse position

mended. Close watch on progress of labour and fetal monitoring
Occipitotransverse position will arise when the fetal head fails to
is required in view of possibility of prolonged labour. Oxytocin
rotate to an occipitoanterior position and remains in a transverse
should be used if needed to maintain good uterine activity (3e4
position. Asynclitism is associated with this malposition. A per-
contractions every 10 min lasing more than 45 s). Previous
sistant occipitotransverse position can cause either obstructed
studies have shown that active management of labour with
labour in the first stage or a ‘deep transverse arrest’ in the second
oxytocin augmentation does help with the rotation to the occi-
stage of labour. If cervix is fully dilated and the head is below the
pitoanterior position. Delivery can occur spontaneously in OP
level of ischial spines, a manual rotation or an instrumental
position but if instrumental delivery is required, careful abdom-
rotational delivery using either the vacuum or Kjelland’s forceps
inal and vaginal examinations are needed to establish whether
is possible.
this is safe and appropriate. In difficult cases, use of ultraso-
nography to confirm position as well as senior help should be
Face presentation
sought.
If instrumental delivery is appropriate, the delivery can be The incidence of face presentation is reported to be between 1 in
assisted by either rotating to the occipitoanterior position or 500 and 1 in 1000 deliveries. The face presentation is a result of
delivering in the occipitoposterior position. Rotational delivery complete extension of the fetal head and may start as an occi-
can be achieved manually or using an instrument. Manual pitoposterior position that extends further either before labour or
rotation involves flexing the fetal head to allow the rotation as labour progresses. Most face presentations are therefore
followed by a traction delivery (using forceps or ventouse). secondary and become evident in established labour. During
Rotational instrumental delivery is most commonly attempted labour, some of the cases of face presentation will flex while the
using vacuum extraction which brings about autorotation of others will persist as face. Although vaginal delivery is feasible in
the vertex with the descent. The vacuum cup should be many cases, caesarean delivery is very common once face
placed over the flexion point of the vertex (3 cm anterior presentation is diagnosed during labour.
to the posterior fontanelle in the midline over the sagittal
suture) and traction applied along the pelvic axis synchronous Causes
with the uterine contractions and maternal bearing down  Tumours of the fetal neck e.g. goitre or cystic hygroma
efforts. (usually diagnosed on antenatal ultrasound)
Kjelland’s forceps can achieve rotation before traction and  Anencephaly
delivery but safe use of this instrument requires considerable  Loops of cord around the neck
training and supervision. Non-rotational forceps can be used for  Uterine abnormalities
deliberate delivery in the occipitoposterior position when the  Prematurity
head is very low but it should be remembered that there is  Cephalopelvic disproportion
a higher likelihood of significant perineal trauma with such  Fetal musculoskeletal abnormalities
deliveries. Caesarean section delivery may be needed either in  Multiparity
the first stage of labour for failure to progress or CTG abnor-  Multiple pregnancy
malities, or in second stage if vaginal delivery is deemed diffi-
cult. To avoid difficulty in delivery at caesarean, the fetal head Mechanism
should be rotated and flexed before delivering in the transverse The mentum (chin) is the denominator (Figure 7) and the pre-
position. senting diameter is submentobregmatic (9.5 cm). Most face
presentations are chin anterior (mentoanterior) in the maternal
pelvis and in such cases spontaneous/assisted vaginal delivery
can occur with the fetal head being born by flexion of the neck in
60e90% cases. Mentoposterior faces rotate to anterior sponta-
neously in 45% of cases but a persistent mentoposterior position
will not allow delivery of the skull under the pubic symphysis
and will necessitate delivery by caesarean section.

Diagnosis
Face presentation is usually diagnosed during labour. On
abdominal palpation, a large amount of head is palpable on the
same side as the back without a cephalic prominence on the
same side as the limbs. In thin women, a sharp angulation may
be felt between the fetal occiput and back. Confirmation is
usually on vaginal examination when the orbits, nose, mouth
and malar bones are palpable. The fetal mouth sucking on the
examiner’s finger is a classical sign! It is important to distinguish
face from breech by remembering that the malar prominences
and mouth form a triangle, whereas the ischial tuberosities and
Figure 7 Face presentation. the anus form a straight line.

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 REVIEW

Management
Malpresentations of fetal head such as face or brow are infre-
quently encountered and much of the practice recommendations
are derived from clinical experience and consensus of expert
opinion. When face presentation is diagnosed during labour, the
woman should be informed of the findings. She should be made
aware that there may be facial swelling and bruising noted in the
baby soon after delivery however it is likely to resolve without
any permanent damage over the next few days. Regular
abdominal and gentle vaginal examinations should be under-
taken to monitor progress while avoiding injury to fetal orbits/
face. If progress is good and the position is mentoanterior (or
rotating round to mentoanterior) then vaginal delivery can be
anticipated. If progress is slow or arrests, or if the position
remains mentoposterior, caesarean section is indicated. Fetal
blood sampling, use of a fetal scalp electrode and ventouse
delivery are contraindicated with a face presentation.
Figure 8 Brow presentation.
If the baby delivers vaginally, the fetal chin descends down
the symphysis pubis and the delivery of the head is completed by
flexion of the fetal neck bringing the occiput out last causing
considerable posterior perineal distension. In second stage with Diagnosis
failure to progress, a forceps delivery is possible although usually It is rare to diagnose brow presentation before onset of labour.
confined to non-rotational forceps when the mentum is anterior On abdominal examination much of the fetal head may be
and head is low. Before application of forceps, it is vital to palpable. On vaginal examination, the head has not descended
confirm that no head is palpable per abdomen as the vaginal below the ischial spines and the root of the nose, supraorbital
findings can be misleading (because the chin is in the pelvis and ridges and anterior fontanelle are palpable.
the occiput lies posteriorly). It is important to remember that ‘the
head is always higher than you think’ and if the sacral hollow Management
feels empty then forceps should not be applied as the occiput The brow discovered in early labour may flex or extend, and
must still be in the abdomen. The biparietal diameter is usually early recourse to caesarean section on this finding alone should
approximately 7 cm behind the advancing face so consequently, be avoided. Nonetheless one should be alert to the signs of
even when the face is distending the vulva, the biparietal obstructed labour, and preparations should be undertaken for
diameter has only just entered the pelvis. caesarean section and time allowed to see whether flexion or
Even with favourable mentolateral or mentoanterior position, extension takes place. Failure to progress in the next few hours in
if there is failure to progress the safer option for the fetus is labour with persistent brow indicates a caesarean section. In
caesarean section in the first stage. At caesarean section care extreme prematurity the fetus may descend as a brow and deliver
should be taken with delivery of the fetal head to avoid exten- as a brow or may convert to a face or vertex after it reaches the
sions of the uterine incision. pelvic floor. As with the face presentation, care is required when
undertaking caesarean section to avoid extensions to the inci-
Brow presentation sion. The aim should be to flex the head with the delivering hand
The incidence of brow is between 1 in 700 and 1 in 1500 before delivering it from the wound. A
deliveries.

Causes
 Cephalopelvic disproportion FURTHER READING
 Prematurity 1 Hunter S, Hofmeyr GJ, Kulier R. Hands and knees posture in late
In brow presentations, the head is deflexed and presents to the pregnancy or labour for fetal malposition (lateral or posterior).
pelvis with the largest anteroposterior diameter (Figure 8). Many Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007 Oct 17. Issue 4. Art. No.:
brow presentations in early labour are transient proceeding to CD001063.
complete extension (face) or flexion (vertex) as labour 2 O’Driscoll K, Jackson RJ, Gallagher JT. Prevention of prolonged labour.
progresses. Br Med J 1969 May 24; 2: 477e80.
3 Akmal S, PatersoneBrown S. Malpositions and malpresentations of the
Mechanism fetal head. Obstet Gynaecol Reprod Med 2009; 19: 240e6.
The fetal head presents with its largest mentovertical diameter 4 Baskett TF, Calder AA, Arulkumaran S. Munro Kerr’s operative obstet-
(13 cm) to the maternal pelvis and vaginal delivery is not rics. In: Assisted vaginal delivery. 11th edn, vol. 8. Elsevier Ltd, 2007.
possible in an adequately grown term baby. Spontaneous 91e125.
conversion to either vertex or face presentation by flexion or 5 Sizer A, Nirmal D. Occipitoposterior position: associated factors and
further extension, respectively, may occur with advancing labour obstetric outcome in nulliparas. Obstet Gnaecol 2000; 96: 749e52.
especially if the fetus is small. part 1.

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 REVIEW

vaginal examinations are needed to establish whether this is

Practice points safe and appropriate.
C Progressive deflexion of the fetal head can result in brow or
C Malpositions and malpresentations of fetal head are usually face malpresentations.
diagnosed in labour. C Most face presentations are secondary and become evident in
C Persistent occipitoposterior (OP) position is found in 10% of
established labour. During labour, some of the cases of face
vertex deliveries and is associated with prolonged first and
presentation will flex while the others will persist as face.
second stages of labour.
Although vaginal delivery is feasible, caesarean delivery is very
C As many OP positions will spontaneously undergo rotation to common once face presentation is diagnosed during labour.
occipitoanterior during the course of labour, if OP position is C The brow discovered in early labour may flex or extend, and
diagnosed in labour - an expectant management is recommended. early recourse to caesarean section on this finding alone
Oxytocin should be used if needed to maintain good uterine should be avoided. Failure to progress in the next few
activity (3e4 contractions every 10 min lasing more than 45 s). hours in labour with persistent brow indicates a caesarean
C Delivery can occur spontaneously in OP position but if section.
instrumental delivery is required, careful abdominal and

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