Uterine curettage following second trimester abortion by extraovular instillation of prostaglandin E ₂: A prospective-randomized trial

Objective: To evaluate the benefits associated with routine uterine curettage following complete second trimester termination of pregnancy by extraovular prostaglandin E ₂ . Study design: Fifty-five patients between 15 and 24 weeks' gestation who had undergone complete termination of pregnancy by continuous extraovular instillation of prostaglandin E ₂ (PGE ₂ ), were randomly assigned into either no further intervention (n=25), or uterine curettage under general anesthesia (n=30). The need for late uterine curettage, clinical and ultrasonographic parameters at 1 and 42 days follow-up, as well as the incidence of the minor and major complications, were compared between groups. Results: Baseline and post-abortion clinical and ultrasonographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean (± Standard error of the mean) number of post-abortion bleeding days in the curettage group was 8.9±1.8 versus 10.1±2.6 days in the non-curettage group (P=NS). No patient in the former group, compared to three patients in the latter group, needed late uterine curettage, (P=NS). Major and minor complications rates in the curettage and in the no-curettage groups were not significantly different. Considerably more patients in the curettage group needed analgesic agents following the abortion compared to the no-curettage group (60% vs. 3.3%, respectively; P<0.001). Conclusions: Routine uterine curettage in patients undergoing complete second trimester termination of pregnancy by extraovular instillation of PGE _2, exerts no benefit. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.