Editorial Comment on: M. Dębska, P. Kretowicz, R. Dębski Intrapartum sonography – eccentricity or necessity?

This article discusses an extremely signifi cant issue of using ultrasonography in the delivery room. The authors discuss the role of ultrasonography in assessing the course of labor. Although the fi rst reports on this subject appeared approximately 20 years ago, the mass use of such examinations has started only recently (2–4). In some of these reports, the 2D and 3D imaging is compared (3) whereas some of them compare a physical anorectal examination with ultrasound assessment of labor (5,6). Nearly all authors agree that ultrasonography in the delivery room is useful and, currently, the more information is available to the obstetrician, the safer the delivery is both for the mother and child. Each article on the use of ul-trasonography in the delivery room is therefore valuable. The authors of this paper preset a concise historical review as well as indications for and practical aspects of US examinations during labor, referring to 30 recent publications. One should hope that this article will resolve any doubts of obstetricians and gynecologists concerning the utility of ultrasonography during labor. As a surgeon coloproctologist, I would like to mention another aspect of applying this modality. Namely, labor monitoring can prevent a serious complication, i.e. so-called neurogenic anal incontinence. This is a " silent disease " due to its embarrassing nature and the fact that doctors or patients rarely talk about it. The cause of this diffi cult-to-treat, and in many cases – untreatable condition , which makes women withdraw from social life, is prolonged labor and compression of the child's head on the pudendal nerve which is pushed against the is-chial spine. Studies have demonstrated that prolonged labor of >8 hours leads to irreversible neuropathy of this nerve (7). The second application of ultrasonography, more specifically – endosonography, has been frequently discussed Komentarz redakcyjny do artykułu M. Dębskiej, P. Kretowicza i R. Dębskiego pt.: Ultrasonografi a na sali porodowej – fanaberia czy konieczność?