HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Blanchard, K. Articles by Winikoff, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Blanchard, K. Articles by Winikoff, B. Related Collections Abortion

Two Regimens of Misoprostol for Treatment of Incomplete Abortion

Kelly Blanchard, MSc^*, Surasak Taneepanichskul, MD, MPH, Orawan Kiriwat, MD, Korakot Sirimai, MD, Nucharee Svirirojana, MSc^*, Nqobile Mavimbela^* and Beverly Winikoff, MD, MPH^*

From the *Population Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Bangkok, Thailand; and New York, New York; the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Address reprint requests to: Kelly Blanchard, P.O. Box 1985, Parklands 2121, South Africa; e-mail: kblanchard{at}ibisreproductivehealth.org.

OBJECTIVES: Misoprostol shows promise for treatment of incomplete abortion. We evaluated 2 simple misoprostol regimens to estimate whether they were effective in treating incomplete abortion.

METHODS: A total of 169 women was randomly assigned to either a single or double dose of 600 µg misoprostol. The women, who would have received a surgical evacuation of the uterus for incomplete abortion, were patients at 2 hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand. The 2 groups of women were compared for success of treatment (no need for surgical evacuation), side effects, and acceptability.

RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of women in the single-dose group and 70% of women in the double-dose group had complete abortions with misoprostol. More than 90% of women in the single- and double-dose groups reported that the side effects were tolerable; frequency of side effects was similar between the 2 groups. Women found the treatment acceptable. Approximately 90% of women in both groups would recommend the treatment to a friend. Acceptability and efficacy were different at the 2 participating clinics.

CONCLUSION: Misoprostol is an effective treatment for incomplete abortion. Simple regimens may be as effective as more complicated ones and a single dose of 600 µg should be further evaluated in larger trials.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I