Ninety-seven women undergoing cesarean section were delivered through a muscle-cutting Maylard or a Pfannenstiel abdominal incision. In these two similar groups of women, the mean Maylard incision length was significantly greater (18.3 +/- 4.5 cm) than that of the Pfannenstiel incision (14.0 +/- 2.1 cm), with no difference in operative morbidity. Difficulty with infant delivery was significantly less frequent with both the Maylard and Pfannenstiel when the incision was at least 15 cm in length. These results suggest that cesarean delivery is performed optimally with an adequate surgical incision, and that the Maylard incision is a safe option which should be strongly considered when risk factors (eg, macrosomia, twins) demand maximal surgical exposure for nontraumatic abdominal delivery.