What is the fetal position of LSCA?

Fetal position refers to the position of the baby's first presentation during childbirth. The fetus often presents in three positions in the mother's uterus, with the head being the most common, followed by the breech position, and the transverse position being relatively rare. Generally, the diagnosis can be made by palpation of the abdomen, auscultation of fetal heart sounds, and examination of the anus or vagina. However, when the pregnant woman is too obese or has too much amniotic fluid, or is pregnant with twins or has malformed fetuses, the fetal position is difficult to determine at the moment and can be confirmed by X-ray. So, what is the fetal position in LSCA? Let’s have a simple understanding of this issue below. I hope the following points will be of some help to everyone!

What is the fetal position in LSCA?

(1) Cephalic position: The ordinate of the fetus is parallel to the ordinate of the mother. The fetus enters the pelvic passage with its head first, which is called cephalic position, also known as "head first presentation". Most of the head presentations are excellently flexed, with the occipital bone as the marking point, connecting to each direction of the pelvic tunnel, generally divided into 6 directions, namely left occipital anterior (LOT), left occipital anterior (ROA), left occipital transverse (LOT), right occipital transverse (R0T), left occipital posterior (L0P), and right occipital posterior (R0P).

(2) Breech presentation: When the vertical coordinate of the fetus is parallel to the vertical coordinate of the mother, and the buttocks enter the pelvic canal first, it is called breech presentation, also known as "buttocks first presentation". When the breech presentation is breech first, the sacrum is used as the marking point and connected to each direction of the pelvic channel, which is generally divided into 6 directions, namely left sacral anterior (LSA), left sacral transverse (LST), left sacral posterior (LSP), left sacral anterior (RSA), right sacral transverse (RST), and right sacral posterior (RSP).

(3) Transverse position: The vertical coordinate of the fetus is perpendicular to the vertical coordinate of the pregnant mother, with the shoulder first exposed in the pelvic canal. This is called transverse position, also known as "shoulder first presentation". The shoulder presentation is marked by the clavicle and is located in various areas of the pelvic tunnel. It is generally divided into four directions, namely left anterior shoulder (LScA), left posterior shoulder (LScP), left anterior shoulder (RScA), and right posterior shoulder (RScP).

Therefore, LSCA is a transverse fetal position with left anterior presentation of the shoulder.