A comparison of metal and plastic cannulae for vacuum aspiration.

A comparative study of the safety and effectiveness of metal (Purandare) versus plastic (Karman) cannulae for first trimester abortion was conducted on 400 women. Two hundred vacuum aspiration procedures were performed using each type of cannula. All aspirations were performed by a single physician, and patient follow-up was performed by a second physician. The complication rates, amount of retained tissue, rates of cannula obstruction and procedure times of the two cannulae were compared. Our findings showed no significant difference in any of these evaluation criteria for the metal and plastic cannulae.