Amniotic fluid removal prior to saline abortion.

To evaluate whether removal of the amniotic fluid prior to the instillation of 200 ml of 20% hypertonic saline has any effect on the success, speed, and safety of the abortion process, 192 patients at 15--20 weeks' gestation were aborted according to one of the following procedures: 1) instillation of 200 ml saline without removal of the amniotic fluid (92 subjects), 2) removal of 100 ml of amniotic fluid prior to saline instillation (46 subjects), and 3) removal of 150 ml of amniotic fluid prior saline instillation (54 subjects). The study indicated that there are no apparent advantages to the removal of the amniotic fluid prior to the instillation of 200 ml of hypertonic saline. The median times from instillation to abortion and rates of incomplete abortion were similar for the three groups of patients. Rates of specific complications, except for fever, were similar for the three groups.