Monitoring Medical Abortion Using Mifepristone/Misoprostol Combination with Ultrasonogram and Serum Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Chou, Szu-Yuan; Chen, Chih-Yen; Chiang, Huihua Kenny; Chow, Pui-Ki; Wang, Ching-Chiung; Hsu, Chun-Sen

doi:10.1016/S1028-4559(09)60190-X

« Previous Next »Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 45, Issue 1 , Pages 48-52, March 2006

Monitoring Medical Abortion Using Mifepristone/Misoprostol Combination with Ultrasonogram and Serum Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Szu-Yuan Chou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Chih-Yen Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Huihua Kenny Chiang
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Pui-Ki Chow
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
Ching-Chiung Wang
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy Science, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Chun-Sen Hsu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
- Correspondence to: Dr. Chun-Sen Hsu, 111 Hsing-Lung Road, Section 3, Taipei 116, Taiwan

Received 19 August 2005; received in revised form 29 August 2005; accepted 30 August 2005.

Summary

Objective

The oral mifepristone/misoprostol combination (MMC) is safe for medical abortion in early pregnancy. The abortion status in MMC-treated pregnancies at Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Medical Center was determined by ultrasonography, serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG), and histopathology.

Methods

All women at less than 49 days since the last menstruation who asked for legal abortion were evaluated by ultrasonography. They then received 600 mg of oral mifepristone followed 48 hours later by 600 μg of misoprostol. Women who had vaginal spotting or bleeding after 14 days were included in this study and underwent transvaginal ultrasonography, serum β-HCG measurement and vacuum aspiration or therapeutic dilatation and curettage (D&C) on day 14. Specimens were identified by histopathology. Abortion status was determined from linear regression of serum β-HCG and endometrial thickness.

Results

Of 35 women who underwent vacuum aspiration or therapeutic D&C, histopathology showed that 20 had decidual tissue and 15 had gestational tissue. Logistic regression showed that the distance measurement to the logistic regression line differed significantly between complete and incomplete abortion (p < 0.05).