(external cephalic version) a procedure in which a fetus that is lying in the breech position is turned so that its head will enter the birth canal first. It may give rise to complications (e.g. abruptio placentae) and is therefore only carried out in selected cases.
The name given to an operation in OBSTETRICS which consists in turning the FETUS in the UTERUS where the fetus is lying in an abnormal position which may make eventual delivery di?cult. In particular, version (which can take place spontaneously) may be done on a fetus between the 34th and 37th weeks of pregnancy when its buttocks rather than its head are positioned at the cervical end of the uterus. The procedure carries a small risk of precipitating premature labour, and it is not always successful, in which case a breech delivery is attempted or, in di?cult cases, a CAESAREAN SECTION is performed. (See also PREGNANCY AND LABOUR.)... version
a measure of the shape of a skull, commonly used in *craniometry: the ratio of the greatest breadth, multiplied by 100, to the greatest length of the skull. See also brachycephaly; dolichocephaly.... cephalic index
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