ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Ultrasound-guided manual vacuum aspiration (USG-MVA) is a feasible and effective outpatient treatment to treat early pregnancy loss. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study at a university-affiliated hospital. All women undergoing either a USG-MVA or electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) were invited to return 3-6 months later for follow-up at which women completed a questionnaire to document their post-evacuation menstrual and reproductive history, and underwent a hysteroscopy if they were not pregnant. The severity of intrauterine adhesion (IUA), if present, was graded (Stage I-III) according to the American fertility society classification. RESULTS: A total of 292 women had a hysteroscopy after their initial surgical evacuation, USG-MVA 169(57.9%) versus EVA 123(42.1%). Women undergoing EVA as opposed to a USG-MVA had a 12.9% higher incidence of IUA (24.1% vs. 37.0%, p = 0.042) equivalent to 1.84 times higher risk (95% CI 1.01-3.34; p = 0.048). Women having EVA continued to show an increased but not statistically significant trend towards an increased risk of IUA after adjusting for the type of miscarriage (aOR = 1.3; 95% CI 0.66-2.50; p = 0.46). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in their reproductive outcomes and fewer women post-USG-MVA complained of hypomenorrhea. IUA may still occur in women undergoing USG-MVA but it is lower than the rate in women undergoing EVA. Clinical trials registry The trial was registered with the Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics - Clinical Trials Registry (CCRBCTR), a partner registry of the WHO Primary Registry-Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR) with a Unique Trial Number: CUHK_CCRB00541 on 22 Dec 2016.