JOURNAL ARTICLE
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

A randomized trial comparing oral misoprostol with intra-amniotic prostaglandin F2alpha for second trimester terminations.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of oral misoprostol with that of intra-amniotic prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) for second trimester pregnancy termination.

METHODS: One hundred seventeen women with pregnancies of between 16 and 22 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned after insertion of laminaria to receive either oral misoprostol 400 microg every 4 hours (to a maximum of four doses) or intra-amniotic PGF2alpha 40 mg. The rate of complete abortion within 24 hours was the primary outcome for power analysis. Secondary outcome measures were the rate of dilatation and curettage (D&C) for retained placenta and the rates of fever and gastrointestinal complications.

RESULTS: Patient characteristics were similar in both groups. The rate of complete abortion within 24 hours was similar in the misoprostol (63%) and PGF2alpha (66%) groups. The rate of retained placenta requiring D&C was significantly greater in the PGF2alpha group (22.4% vs. 3.4%, P = 0.002). There were no differences in other maternal morbidities. Parous patients treated with oral misoprostol had a significantly greater rate of complete abortion than nulliparous patients (84% vs. 57%, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: Oral misoprostol is as effective as intra-amniotic PGF2alpha for second trimester pregnancy termination when laminaria is inserted before treatment. Parous patients have a higher success rate than nulliparous patients with use of oral misoprostol. Oral misoprostol is associated with a very low rate of placental retention.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app