A modern perspective on the issue of birth trauma.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2025.329

Mamedova M.A., Bespalova O.N.
D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction, St. Petersburg, Russia

The term “neonatal birth trauma” refers to a pathological condition resulting from injuries caused by mechanical forces during the process of labor. Within the ICD-10 classification, birth trauma encompasses more than forty diagnostic codes (P10–P15), reflecting damage to a wide range of organs and tissues. Distinct categories of birth trauma include injuries to the skull, the brain and spinal cord, skeletal structures, internal organs, neural plexuses, etc. Over the past 10–15 years, the epidemiology of risk factors has undergone significant changes due to a decline in the frequency of instrumental deliveries, increase in the cases of gestational complications and extragenital diseases among pregnant women. A comprehensive understanding of the spectrum of birth trauma requires consideration of risk factors, clinical manifestations, pathological and pathophysiological mechanisms, as well as findings from postmortem examinations. Investigating the issue of neonatal birth trauma is of critical importance across multiple domains, including clinical practice, public health policy, medical ethics, and health economics. A systematic study of birth injuries, identification of their etiological factors, and classification of risk determinants will reduce their prevalence through the development of novel preventive strategies and the timely detection of existing trauma. Interdisciplinary collaboration between obstetrician-gynecologists and neonatologists increases the readiness of specialists for potential complications, particularly in cases of fetal abnormalities, and decreases the risk of neonatal birth injury. Predictive modeling and risk analysis based on modifiable factors will facilitate the early identification of deliveries with a high probability of perinatal sentinel events associated with neonatal birth trauma.
Conclusion: Further research into systematizing risk factors for fetal injury during the intranatal period and introducing algorithms based on these factors into prognostic models is a promising direction for reducing the levels of perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Authors’ contributions: Bespalova O.N. – developing the concept of the study, editing the article; Mamedova M.A. – collecting and processing the material, writing the text.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding: The study was conducted without sponsorship.
For citation: Mamedova M.A., Bespalova O.N. A modern perspective on the issue of birth trauma.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2026; (4): 14-22 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2025.329

neonatal birth trauma

birth injuries

hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Full text (in Russian)

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Received 03.11.2025

Accepted 23.12.2025

Mekhri A. Mamedova, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist at the Maternity Department, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, +7(812)328-98-76, mmekhri@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1705-9554
Olesya N. Bespalova, Dr. Med. Sci., Deputy Director for Research, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,
199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, +7(812)328-98-68, shiggerra@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6542-5953
Corresponding author: Mekhri A. Mamedova, mmekhri@gmail.com

A modern perspective on the issue of birth trauma.

Mamedova M.A., Bespalova O.N.

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