comparison of misgav-ladach and pfannenstiel-kerr techniques for cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial study

Background: cesarean section is one of the most common surgeries around the world. there are several different techniques for cesarean section. the most common techniques are pfannenstiel-kerr (pk) and the newer technique misgav-ladach (ml). the objective of this trial was to compare intraoperative and short-term postoperative outcomes between the pfannenstiel-kerr and the modified misgav-ladach techniques in primary cesarean deliveries. methods: in a prospective controlled trial, 100 females were randomly assigned to the pk (n = 50) and ml (n = 50) groups. the two groups were compared in terms of duration of surgery and fetus delivery, blood transfusion, febrile morbidity, analgesic use, changes of hematocrit level, bowel transition time, wound infection /dehiscence and neonate five-minute apgar score. results: the duration of surgery and fetus delivery was significantly lower in ml than pk technique (p = 0.000). analgesic use during the post-operative period was significantly lower in ml than pk (p < 0.001). there were no significant statistical differences between the groups in regards to drop of the hematocrit (p = 0.32), fever (p = 0.056) and bowel transit time (p = 1.000). the mean apgar score of fifth minute was 8.80 ± 0.57 and 9.89 ± 0.42 in pk and ml groups, respectively (p < 0.001). conclusions: misgav-ladach appears to be faster, requires shorter incision and less analgesic drugs than pk, which might lead to better postoperative outcomes.