Application of intrauterine balloons in cervical ripening

ABSTRACTIntroduction At present, the double balloon represented by the COOK Cervix Ripening Balloon and the single balloon represented by the Foley catheter are the commonly used intrauterine balloons. The application of intrauterine balloons in cervical ripening has evolved over 100 years. Although intrauterine balloons have been widely used in cervical ripening, the effect of labor induction in clinical practice does not satisfy all clinicians, especially patients with poor cervical maturity.Areas covered The research in this review is about intrauterine balloons and cervical ripening.Expert opinion This article reviews the historical evolution and different application methods of intrauterine balloons in cervical ripening, such as application range, placement method and placement duration of intrauterine balloons, volume and temperature of the solution fillings, and whether to apply traction to the catheter. We aim to better understand the principle of intrauterine balloons in cervical ripening and make this method more effective.KEYWORDS: Intrauterine balloonsCOOK cervical ripening balloonFoley cathetercervical ripeninginduction of labor Article highlights This article reviews the historical evolution and different application methods of intrauterine balloons in cervical ripening.We provide new ideas for finding safer and more effective cervical ripening methods.We hope to find a way to improve the success rate of midwifery and vaginal delivery.Declaration of interestThe authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.Reviewers disclosurePeer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.Authors’ contributionsJW conceived the study and revised the manuscript. CW collected the literature and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.Additional informationFundingThis study was supported by the Applied Basic Research Programs of Department of Science and Technology of Liaoning Province (grant number 2022JH2/101500049), 345 Talent Project of the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, and the Wu Jieping Medical Foundation (grant number 320.6750.2022-6-12).