The Zavanelli maneuver is an obstetric maneuver that involves pushing back the delivered fetal head into the birth canal in anticipation of performing a cesarean section in cases of shoulder dystocia.
[3][4] A review published in 1985 found that 84 of 92 cases of Zavanelli maneuver were successful in replacing the head of the fetus back into the uterus.
[2] Risks of the maneuver to the mother include soft tissue damage and puerperal sepsis.
The Zavanelli maneuver is not performed very often in the United States.
[4] It is named after William Angelo "Bill" Zavanelli (born October 10, 1926), who performed the procedure on January 18, 1978 as a clinical instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco.