Similarities in women's perceptions and acceptability of manual vacuum aspiration and electric vacuum aspiration for first trimester abortion. Manual vacuum aspiration, a safe and effective alternative in early pregnancy termination. Medical vs. surgical evacuation of first-trimester spontaneous abortion. Comparison of pain and time of procedures with two first-trimester abortion techniques performed by residents and faculty. A comparison of D & C and vacuum aspiration for performing first trimester abortion. Misoprostol for treatment of incomplete abortion at the regional hospital level: results from Tanzania.
This paper examines women's acceptability of and experiences with manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) as compared with electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) for first trimester abortion. Women requesting pregnancy terminations were randomly assigned to either MVA (n = 64) or EVA (n = 63). Participants completed questionnaires before and after their abortions and approximately 2-4 weeks later. We observed some differences by group in participants' ratings of the importance of method characteristics and in their perceptions of their abortion methods after their abortions. The two groups did not, however, differ in their reports of pain, anxiety or bleeding or in the acceptability of their method. Vacuum aspiration has become standard surgical procedure for safe early pregnancy termination. Most of these operations are performed in the operating theater using suction curettage and an electric vacuum pump. MVA (manual vacuum aspiration) is an alternative that is well suited for use as a clinical procedure, which could have advantages both for the patient and the health care system. In order to compare conventional VA and MVA in a Swedish setting, a randomized study was undertaken.
                Two hundred women requesting abortion in early pregnancy, gestational age less than 56 days, and choosing surgical termination, were randomized to VA or MVA. Main study outcome was frequency of complete abortion but also other variables were recorded.
                There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding background characteristics. Altogether 91 MVA and 88 VA operations were performed. There was no significant difference in frequency of complete abortion; two patients in each group subsequently needed re-curettage because of incomplete evacuation. No case of ongoing pregnancy occurred. Two patients in each group received treatment for endometritis. No other complications were recorded.
                This study indicates that MVA is effective in emptying the uterine cavity, on par with the standard vacuum aspiration. The rate of complications with MVA was on the same low level as with conventional VA. To determine whether management of incomplete first-trimester abortion with vaginal misoprostol in an under-resourced setting is a viable treatment option.
                A total of 94 women were randomized to 600 microg of misoprostol intravaginally or to surgical curettage. The women receiving misoprostol were administered a second dose if the abortion was incomplete; and if still not complete after a week, evacuation of retained products of conception was performed. All women had a follow-up visit 2 weeks following complete abortion.
                The overall success rate of medical management was 91.5%, with 15 of 47 successful cases after 1 dose of misoprostol; 8.5% of the 47 women required evacuation of retained products of conception after 1 week because of treatment failure. The success rate in the surgical arm was 100%. Patients in the medical arm had a longer duration of bleeding and a greater need for analgesia. There were no differences in hemoglobin levels, white blood cell count, adverse effects, pain score, and satisfaction with treatment at the follow-up visit. However, more women who received the medical treatment would recommend it or choose it in the future.
                Medical management using 600 microg of misoprostol in 2 doses is effective to treat incomplete first-trimester abortions in an under-resourced setting when there is no evidence of uterine sepsis. We compared pain perception and procedure time in abortions performed by residents and faculty using a manual vacuum aspirator and electric vacuum curettage devices.
                We conducted a randomized trial of 114 women undergoing first-trimester abortions. Patients assessed the level of pain with visual analog scales.
                The mean procedure times were 5.7 and 6.9 minutes, respectively, with electric vacuum curettage and manual vacuum aspirator. Faculty took less time than residents to perform both procedures. Patients reported a higher pain level with cervical dilatation before resident electric vacuum curettage procedures. Patients undergoing electric vacuum curettage thought that the procedure noise increased their pain.
                First-trimester abortion procedures can be performed more quickly by experienced surgeons. The procedure time for the manual vacuum aspirator is greater than that for the electric vacuum curettage. Patient pain perception with aspiration by these two techniques is not different. The level of pain after aspiration did not vary significantly in patients who had abortions performed by residents or faculty. In a study of techniques for first trimester abortion conducted at Kandang Kerbau Hospital in Singapore from September 1973 to April 1975, 420 physically healthy gravidas were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups either by D & C or vacuum aspiration. Half of the patients in each group were 6 to 10 menstrual weeks' gestation and half were 11 to 12 week's gestation. The numbers of women with one or more complications were the same for the two treatment groups, but were significantly less when termination was carried out at 11 to 12 weeks' gestation. Estimated blood loss was significantly lower for patients treated by VA (32.3 ml) than for patients treated by D & C (39.0 ml) at 6 to 10 week's gestation, but the difference in blood loss was not statistically significant at 11 to 12 weeks' gestation. Time from insertion to removal of the speculum was significantly less with VA than D & C at 6 to 10 weeks' gestation but not at 11 to 12 weeks' gestation. Since vacuum aspiration is at least as safe as D & C, and appears to be more convenient and costeffective, it should on the basis of this experience be accepted over D & C as the standard method for treatment of first trimester abortion. To investigate the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of misoprostol versus manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) for treatment of incomplete abortion.
                A prospective open-label randomised trial.
                Kagera Regional Hospital, Bukoba, Tanzania.
                Three hundred women with a clinical diagnosis of incomplete abortion and a uterine size <12 weeks.
                A total of 150 women were randomised to either a single dose of 600 micrograms of oral misoprostol or MVA. If abortion was clinically complete at 7-day follow up, the woman was released from the study. If it was still incomplete, the woman was offered the choice of an additional 1-week follow up or immediate MVA. Cases still incomplete after a further week were offered MVA.
                Incidence of successful abortion (success defined as no secondary surgical intervention provided), incidence of adverse effects, patient satisfaction.
                Success was very high in both arms (misoprostol: 99%; MVA: 100%; difference not significant). Most adverse effects were higher in the misoprostol arm, although the mean pain score was higher in the MVA arm (3.0 versus 3.5; P < 0.001). More women were very satisfied with misoprostol (75%) than with MVA (55%, P = 0.001), and a higher proportion of women in the misoprostol arm said that they would recommend the treatment to a friend (95% versus 75%, P < 0.001).
                Misoprostol is as effective as MVA at treating incomplete abortion at uterine size of <12 weeks. The acceptability of misoprostol appears higher. Given the many practical advantages of misoprostol over MVA in low-resource settings, misoprostol should be more widely available for treatment of incomplete abortion in the developing world.
Complications for surgical first trimester abortion are rare. The included studies do not indicate overall benefits of one over the other method. MVA can be used for early first trimester surgical abortion, but maybe more difficult when used later in the first trimester. Duration of procedure is shorter with VA compared to D&C, which may be of importance when using local anaesthetics or for busy clinics. Outcomes such as women's satisfaction, the need for pain relief or surgeons preference for the instrument have been inadequately addressed. No long-term outcomes, such as fertility after surgical abortion, are available.