Bishop score

Bishop score, also Bishop's score, is a pre-labour scoring system to assist in predicting whether induction of labour will be required.^[1]

Additional recommended knowledge

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Components

The total score is achieved by assessing the following five components on vaginal examination:

• Cervical dilatation
• Cervical effacement
• Cervical consistency
• Cervical position
• Fetal station

They can be remembered with the mnemonic: Call PEDS For Parturition = Cervical Postion, Effacement, Dilation, Softness; Fetal Station.

Scoring

Each components is given a score of 0-2 or 0-3. The highest possible score is 13.

Interpretation

A score of 5 or less suggests that labour is unlikely to start without induction. A score of 9 or more indicates that labour will most likely commence spontaneously.^[2]

A low Bishop's score often indicates that induction is unlikely to be successful^[3]. Some sources indicate that only a score of 8 or greater is reliably predictive of a successful induction.

Modified Bishop score

According to the Modified Bishop's pre-induction cervical scoring system, effacement has been replaced by cervical length in cm, with scores as follows- 0>3cm, 1>2cm, 2>1cm, 3>0cm.^[4]

References

1. ^ Bishop EH. 1964. Pelvic scoring for elective induction. Obstetrics and Gynecology 24:266.
2. ^ Tenore J (2003). "Methods for cervical ripening and induction of labor". Am Fam Physician 67 (10): 2123-8. PMID 12776961. (Incomplete) Free Text.
3. ^ http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2381313
4. ^ Dutta DC. Text Book of Obstetrics. 6ed. New Central Book Agency. 2001. ISBN 978-8173811425.

See also

• List of obstetric topics
• Fetal fibronectin (fFN)