Perinatal mortality associated with abnormal presentations at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin-Nigeria: a prospective study.

In a prospective study of perinatal mortality (PNM) rates associated with abnormal (ABN) presentations at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria over a four-year period, 1987-1990, it was found that out of 6,000-7,000 yearly deliveries, there was an abnormal presentation in about 4.5% of them. Compared with developed countries, this study has shown that the PNM is still alarmingly in our unit, (a reflection of the trend in Nigeria) and when associated with an ABN presentation the PNM is still higher. The overall PNM has shown a gradual fall from 346 (5.76%) in 1987 to 322 (4.37%) in 1990, but it has been observed that the mortality amongst the ABN presentations is on a steady increase from 52 (16.67%) in 1987 to 66 (18.80%) in 1990. A plea is therefore made for a very close and thorough supervision of the patients during the antenatal period and labour to detect and treat these ABN presentations so as to reduce the perinatal wastage.