Investigation of the effectiveness of misoprostol and foley catheter use alone or together in second trimester pregnancy terminations

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE : Investigation of the effectiveness of misoprostol and foley catheter use alone or together in second trimester pregnancy terminations. MATERIAL AND METHODS : In this retrospective study, second trimester pregnancy terminations applied to Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital between December 2016 and September 2020 were examined. 146 patients were included in the study. The patients were divided into 3 groups as those using misoprostol alone (62 patients), foley catheter alone (35 patients), and combined misoprostol + foley catheter (49 patients). The effectiveness and safety of the methods were examined among the groups. RESULTS : In our study, there were no differences between the groups, and the age, gravida, parity, body mass index and termination indications were similar among the patients. As the primary result of our study, the duration from induction to termination was evaluated. The total termination time was 16.10 ± 14.13 hours in those who received misoprostol alone; 18.43 ± 14.89 hours in patients who received foley catheter alone; it was found to be 19.92 ± 15.57 hours in cases where misoprostol and foley catheters were applied together and it was similar between the groups (p> 0.05). The complication rates of our cases in the three groups were similar, and no major complications occurred in any of them. CONCLUSION : Although the methods used in second trimester pregnancy terminations are not superior to each other in terms of efficiency; In cases with a history of cesarean section, the combined use of methods may be preferred to prevent complications such as uterine rupture due to misoprostol. Keywords : Misoprostol, foley catheter, second trimester, pregnancy termination.