Abstract
Objectives
The study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of mifepristone 200 mg 48 h before
administering misoprostol 600 ��g, sublingual vs. vaginal route, prior to dilation
and evacuation (D&E) in 12- to 20-week pregnancies.
Design
Randomized clinical trial.
Setting
Cl��nica Mediterrania M��dica, Valencia, Spain.
Subjects
Women with 12- to 20-week pregnancies wanting a voluntary abortion between July 9,
2004, and February 9, 2006.
Methods
Nine hundred women were randomized to be included in one of the following four groups:
(I) mifepristone 200 mg plus sublingual misoprostol 600 ��g before D&E, (II) mifepristone
200 mg plus vaginal misoprostol 600 ��g before D&E, (III) sublingual misoprostol 600
��g before D&E and (IV) vaginal misoprostol 600 ��g before D&E.
Main Outcomes Measured
The degree of cervical dilation achieved before D&E, surgical time necessary to terminate
the pregnancy and side effects of misoprostol.
Results
The average cervical dilation in the mifepristone groups was 12.5��2.8 mm (SD) [95%
confidence interval (CI), 12.3���12.8] vs. 8.5��3.2 mm (SD) (95% CI, 8.2���8.8) in
those receiving only misoprostol. Surgical time in the mifepristone sublingual misoprostol
group was 11.9��4.3 min (SD) vs. 13.0��5.3 min (SD) in the sublingual misoprostol
group without mifepristone (p=.007); in the mifepristone vaginal misoprostol group,
the average surgical time was 12.3��5.0 min (SD) vs. 13.0��6.2 (SD) in the vaginal
misoprostol group without mifepristone (p=.031).
Conclusions
Administering mifepristone before D&E with misoprostol in second-trimester abortions
makes surgery easier and shorter and, to a certain extent, lessens the risk of cervical
injuries, especially in D&E in advanced gestational periods.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 17, 2007
Accepted:
November 9,
2006
Received in revised form:
November 9,
2006
Received:
April 21,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
