Episiotomy: beneficial for the doctor, the woman, or neither? Comparison with vaginal tear based on the complications of the technique

Introduction: Episiotomy, a surgical incision in the perineum during vaginal delivery, has been used with the goal of reducing high-grade tears. However, currently its routine use has led to reconsidering the benefits of this technique, since it can lead to complications that, in some cases, can be avoided. On the other hand, vaginal tear is not always high grade and is not a necessary condition in a vaginal birth, so the deliberate use of episiotomy is not justified, which can, in the end, have more complications than what it is intended to avoid. Objectives: To analyze the complications of episiotomy compared to those of perineal tear. Material and methods: systematic review of articles published in the last 4 years.