A laminaria tent was used as an adjunct during midtrimester abortion to attempt to shorten the injection-abortion interval without adversely affecting the frequency of infection, hemorrhage, failed abortion, or cervical laceration. Eighty patients, between 14 and 20 weeks' gestation and desiring pregnancy termination, were randomized into three groups. Abortion was initiated by an intra-amniotic infusion of 20 mg of prostaglandin F2alpha and 80 gm of hyperosmolar urea in Ringer's lactate (135 ml total volume), followed by oxytocin infused intravenously at 333 mU/min. Group I (N = 28) received no additional therapy; Group II (N = 23) had laminaria placed at the time of the abortifacient injection and removed 4 hours later; Group III (N = 29) had laminaria placed 4 hours prior to inejction and removed at the time of injection. The injection-abortion intervals in these three groups were 17.76, 20.80, and 12.96 hours, respectively. This study illustrates that a laminaria tent palced 4 hours prior to injection is significantly more effective than a laminaria tent placed at the time of injection, and produces a shorter mean injection-abortion interval than that in patients receiving no laminaria. Furthermore, laminaria augmentation results in no demonstrable increase in the frequency of serious complications.
Abortifacient Agents Abortion, Induced