Diagnosis of cephalopelvic disproportion by means of linear discriminant function

Summary

Linear discriminant analysis was applied to the process of diagnosing cephalopelvic disproportion. Seven parameters including the measurements obtained from the pelvic lateral view film were used in the discriminant function, which was derived from retrospective data on 158 patients. The same function was used to diagnose 418 cases prospectively. The result was that the rate of correct diagnosis was 81 per cent in the group diagnosed as having disproportion and 79 per cent in the non-disproportion group. A decrease in the incidence of caesarean section occurred, without any increase in the perinatal mortality rate.