APPLIED RADIOLOGICAL ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -At the end of the third trimester, the baby settles, or drops lower, into the mother’s pelvis. This is known as dropping or lightening. Dropping is not a good predictor of when labour will begin. In first-time mothers, dropping usually occurs 2 to 4 weeks before delivery, but it can happen earlier.

Detailed explanation-2: -The best position for the baby to pass through the pelvis is with the head down and the body facing toward the mother’s back. This position is called occiput anterior.

Detailed explanation-3: -Pelvimetry assesses the size of a woman’s pelvis aiming to predict whether she will be able to give birth vaginally or not. This can be done by clinical examination, or by conventional X‐rays, computerised tomography (CT) scanning, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Detailed explanation-4: -Certain landmarks in the anatomy of the pelvis are commonly used to estimate the descent of the baby during labour and delivery. The two most important landmarks are the ischial spines and the sacral promontory, which can be felt with the fingers during a vaginal examination.