External cephalic version of term singleton breech presentations with tocolysis: a retrospective study in a community hospital.

External version with the use of tocolysis in low-risk patients has been shown to be relatively safe and effective. A retrospective analysis was undertaken to see if version was practical for a smaller community-based hospital. Thirty-two antepartum external cephalic versions with ritodrine tocolysis during a 4-year period were reviewed. Successful version occurred in 59.4% of attempts. Of patients with a successful version, 68.4% delivered vaginally. One successful version occurred spontaneously with ritodrine tocolysis alone. A stillbirth due to abruptio placentae occurred 20 hours after a failed version attempt.