A comparative randomized study of oral prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) tablets and intravenous oxytocin in induction of labor in patients with premature rupture of membranes before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

In a randomized prospective study, we compared the use of intravenous oxytocin with oral PGE2 tablets for stimulation of labor in cases of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) before term, where the onset of spontaneous labor did not occur within the first 3 h. This study represents the first of its kind in which oral PGE2 and oxytocin have been directly compared as oxytocic agents for PROM before 37 weeks. Labor induction was successful in 96% of patients in the PGE2 group compared with 84% in the oxytocin group. The incidence of cesarean section (CS) was 5% and 16% in the PGE2 and the oxytocin groups, respectively. While 10% of the CS were performed due to fetal bradycardia in the oxytocin group, none was performed in the PGE2 group despite the fact that the latter group had relatively lower Bishop scores. The data presented indicate that oral PGE2 is safe and effective in initiating active labor in healthy women at pre-term with PROM. Thus we recommend its use to induce labor 3 h after rupture of membranes before 37 weeks gestation.