[The dystocias of the start of labour and their treatment with a beta sympatho-mimetic drug (author's transl)].

The authors have studied 106 cases of dystocia of the start of labour, which is defined as an abnormal increase in the length of the time of dilatation before the cervix reaches three centimetres dilated, in spite of contractions that apparently are of good quality. The contractions can be stopped by a beta sympatho-mimetic drug (Ritodrine) easily and the immediate problem is resolved, in that the woman is allowed a rest during which she can recover for a few hours. The labour starts off after this normally, but the percentage of Caesarean sections is very high (26.4 per cent) because in fact these dystocias of the start of labour are often associated with disproportion or a poorly flexed posterior position. There has been no serious secondary effect of the treatment nor any ill effects observed on the fetuses.