primary outcome:
Methods of term labour induction for women with a previous caesarean section
1. Vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours (or period specified by trial authors)
2. Uterine hyperstimulation with fetal heart rate (FHR) changes
3. Caesarean section
4. Serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death (e.g. seizures, birth asphyxia defined by trialists, neonatal encephalopathy, disability in childhood)
5. Serious maternal morbidity or death (e.g. uterine rupture, admission to intensive care unit, septicaemia)There were no differences identified between the two treatment groups for caesarean section (risk ratio (RR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22 to 2.03, one study, 42 women, evidence graded low, Analysis 1.1). There was only one event for serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death and serious maternal morbidity or death, so the analysis of differences between groups was not meaningful (one study, 42 women, evidence graded low, Analysis 1.2; one study, 42 women, evidence graded low,Analysis 1.3).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE outcomes: vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours, anduterine hyperstimulation with fetal heart rate (FHR) changes.This trial was stopped following recruitment and randomisation of 38 women (17 women misoprostol group; 21 women oxytocin group) and no primary outcomes or GRADE outcomes were reported (vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours , uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , caesarean section , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death).There was no difference between oxytocin and Foley catheter in the number of women who delivered within 24 hours (RR 1.47, 95% CI 0.89 to 2.44, one study, 53 women, evidence graded low, Analysis 3.1), uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes (RR 3.11, 95% CI 0.13 to 73.09, one study, 53 women, evidence graded low, Analysis 3.2), or the number of women requiring a caesarean section (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.92, one study, 53 women, evidence graded low,Analysis 3.3).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE composite outcomes: serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.There was no difference between the groups for caesarean section (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.32, one study, 16 women, evidence graded very low,Analysis 4.1).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE outcomes: vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours , uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.Failed induction was reported (three out of 12 women in the double‐balloon catheter group, and five out of 12 women in the dinoprostone group), however we did not included this outcome in this review as it included women who started labour before induction began and women who had not delivered 48 hours after induction began.The study did not report any of the primary/GRADE outcomes: vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours , uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , caesarean section , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.More women who were induced using IMN rather than Foley catheter had not achieved a vaginal delivery within 24 hours (RR 2.62, 95% CI 1.32 to 5.21, one study, 80 women, evidence graded low,Analysis 6.1). There was no difference in the number of women who had a caesarean section (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.39 to 2.59, one study, 80 women, evidence graded very low,Analysis 6.2).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE outcomes: uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.There was no clear difference between groups for vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.20, one study, 154 women, evidence graded moderate,Analysis 7.1) and caesarean section (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.24, one study, 154 women, evidence graded moderate,Analysis 7.2).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE outcomes: uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.There was no clear difference between groups in the number of women requiring a caesarean section (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.60, one study, 200 women, evidence graded very low, Analysis 8.1).The study did not report the following primary/GRADE outcomes: vaginal delivery not achieved within 24 hours , uterine hyperstimulation with FHR changes , serious neonatal morbidity or perinatal death , and serious maternal morbidity or death.