[Pregnancy termination in the second trimester with vaginally administered dinoprostone followed by intravenous sulprostone, for the indication 'foetal congenital defects'; results of a retrospective study].
OBJECTIVE
To obtain insight into treatment duration and complications of the currently accepted method for pregnancy termination in the second trimester using a combination of prostaglandine-E2 medications.


METHODS
Retrospective study of medical records.


METHODS
Data were collected for all second trimester pregnancy terminations performed on foetal indication in the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in the years 1998-2001. The treatment consisted of vaginal administration of dinoprostone, followed by intravenous administration of sulprostone.


RESULTS
A total of 134 pregnant women were involved in the analysis. The median age was 33 years and the median pregnancy duration 19 weeks. The median duration of hospital stay was 3 days (range: 2-11 days). The median duration of treatment for the total study population was 19 hours (4-172). For nulliparae this was 23 hours, and for multiparae 17 hours (p < 0.05). Of the total study population, 91 women (68%) delivered within 24 hours. The percentage of multiparae that delivered within 24 hours was higher than the percentage of nulliparae that delivered in this time (76% compared to 53%: p < 0.05). Operative removal of a--partially--retained placenta was conducted in 51 women (38%). This percentage was higher among women with treatment duration longer than 24 hours than among women who delivered within 24 hours (51% versus 32%; p < 0.05). The treatment duration and the complication percentage were less favourable than those described in a number of publications relating to the combination mifepristone and misoprostol.
Erasmus Medisch Centrum, afd. Verloskunde en Vrouwenzickten, Postbus 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam.
J A
JA
Stoutjesdijk
J
J
Alsma
H I J
HI
Wildschut
D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D000328:Adult; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000002:abnormalities; D006801:Humans; D018457:Placenta, Retained / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; C016767:sulprostone; D015232:Dinoprostone