Intact dilation and extraction

Intact dilation and extraction (IDX) is an extraction procedure used for a fetus where dilation is done so it can be removed intact. The procedure is used both after late-term miscarriages and in late-term abortions.
It is also known as intact dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction (D&X, or DNX), intrauterine cranial decompression and, in some cases, as the legal term in the United States, as "partial-birth abortion". The procedure may also be used to remove a fetus that is developed enough to require dilation of the cervix for its extraction.