A change in the direction in which a fetus lies so that a malpresentation, most often a breech (bottom-down) presentation, replaces the normal headdown presentation.
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.)
n. a manoeuvre to alter the position of a fetus in the uterus to facilitate delivery. See cephalic version; podalic version.
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