Measurement of uterine activity in labour--clinical aspects.

Intra-uterine pressure measurement remains the most objective way of measuring uterine activity in labour, and in this respect is superior to clinical assessment or external tocography. However there is little evidence to show that improving the assessment of uterine activity in labour is associated with an improvement in the outcome of labour for mother or fetus. It seems logical that use of intra-uterine pressure monitoring will provide additional safety in women with a scarred uterus, breech presentation, high parity, or apparent failure of response to induction or augmentation of labour with the usual dose rates of oxytocics, but this has not been established by appropriately sized clinical trials. Further research to establish the role of uterine activity measurement in labour is urgently needed.