A randomized controlled trial comparing isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin versus misoprostol-oxytocin at management of foetal intrauterine death.

BACKGROUND: The metabolic activity of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and the medical use of nitrovasodilatory drugs like isosorbide dinitrate have been shown to be potential inducers inducers of cervical ripening prior to surgical evacuation of the uterus. OBJECTIVE: To assess the therapeutic efficacy and safety of combined isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin in the management of intrauterine foetal death (IUFD). METHODS: Sixty women with IUFD after 20 weeks of gestation requesting uterine evacuation were randomly selected to receive isosorbide dinitrate gel solution (80 mg/1.5 mL; n = 30) or misoprostol gel solution (100 mcg/1.5 mL; n = 30) every 3 h with a maximum of four doses or until a Bishop score >7 was reached. Subsequently, patients received a high dose of intravenous oxytocin until complete uterus evacuation was achieved. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by mean the relative risk of the foetal expulsion based on comparison of event rates, and the proportion of women induced to labor at 7, 10 and 15 h after the administration of isosorbide dinitrate or misoprostol. Safety was assessed on the basis of woman´s vital signs and evaluation of adverse effects, including headache, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, lower back pain, nausea, dizziness and vomiting. RESULTS: The foetal expulsion rate using the isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin combination was approximately 4.4 times, and at least 2.1 times, the foetal expulsion rate with the misoprostol-oxytocin regimen at any given point in time. The proportion of women achieved vaginal delivery at 15 hours was 100% for the isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin group and 86.7% for the misoprostol-oxytocin group. The average delivery induction interval was significantly lower when isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin was used (8.7 ± 3.1 h) than when misoprostol-oxytocin (11.9 ± 3.1 h) was used. A total of 20% of patients in the isosorbide dinitrate-oxytocin group recorded headache, and no cases of uterine tachysystole, haemorrhage or coagulopathy were recorded. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that intravaginal isosorbide dinitrate followed by intravenous oxytocin was more effective than the conventional method used to induce labour in the medical management of foetal death in pregnancies after 20 weeks of gestation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02488642.

Cerclaje transabdominal en el manejo de la incompetencia cervical / Transabdominal cerclage in the cervical incompetence

El propósito fue revisar las indicaciones para el cerclaje transabdominal en el Instituto Nacional de Perinatología. Se realizó una revisión retrospectiva de las pacientes con cerclaje transabdominal con el fin de evaluar los resultados fetales. Desde 1997 se realizaron siete cerclajes transabdominales, su indicación primaria fueron los cerclajes previos por vía vaginal los cuales habían sido fallidos. Todas las pacientes consiguieron un embarazo de término. La tasa de neonatos vivos previos al procedimiento era de 5.2 por ciento comparada con 85.8 por ciento posterior al cerclaje transabdominal. Hubo un caso de muerte fetal a las 37 semanas y dos días en una paciente que cursó con preeclampsia. De los recién nacidos cinco fueron pequeños para la edad gestacional. Concluimos que bajo indicaciones estrictas el cerclaje transabdominal ofrece una alta tasa de sobrevida fetal con un mínimo de complicaciones en pacientes con una pobre historia obstétrica debido a una incompetencia cervical en donde han ocurrido fallas con el cerclaje por vía vaginal.