Effectiveness of misoprostol for induction of first-trimester miscarriages: Experience at a single tertiary care centre in Oman

Objectives: non-invasive methods of inducing a miscarriage are now considered an effective alternative to surgical evacuation (dilatation and curettage). this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of misoprostol in the termination of first-trimester miscarriages. methods: this prospective study was conducted between october 2009 and september 2010 and assessed all patients admitted to the royal hospital in muscat,oman,for the termination of first-trimester miscarriages during the study period. all patients received misoprostol and the rates of successful termination were measured. patient satisfaction was assessed using a short questionnaire. results: a total of 290 women were included in the study. termination with misoprostol was successful in 61.38% of the subjects. of the remaining subjects requiring additional surgical evacuation (n = 112),58.93% required evacuation due to failed termination with misoprostol and 65.18% underwent early evacuation (≤24 hours since their last misoprostol dose). the majority of patients experienced no side-effects due to misoprostol (89.66%). pain was controlled with simple analgesics in 70.00% of the subjects. a high satisfaction rate (94.83%) with the misoprostol treatment was reported. conclusion: misoprostol was a well-tolerated drug which reduced the rate of surgical evacuation among the study subjects. this medication can therefore be used safely in the management of incomplete miscarriages.