Abstract
Purpose: Misoprostol has gained wide use in the treatment of reproductive disease. Previous applications have been administered through oral or vaginal routes. The efficacy of intra-cervical administration is not well studied. The authors report the outcome of intracervical administration of misoprostol in three women treated for termination of second-trimester fetal demise. Materials and Methods: Three women with second-trimester fetal demise were treated using 50 mu g of misoprostol administered in the cervical os. Results: Complete abortion was observed by 17 hours, ten hours and 15 minutes, and seven hours and 35 minutes, respectively. Two women received oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for mild abdominal pain and one woman received intramuscular opiates for moderate to severe abdominal pain. There were no adverse side effects or complications of treatment. Conclusions: Intra-cervical misoprostol was useful in the termination of second-trimester fetal demise. The dose required was much less than that used for oral or vaginal administration. Further studies are needed to confirm the present findings.