The role of methylergonovine maleate in augmenting extraamniotic saline for midtrimester abortion.

This study was conducted in Bombay, India, to evaluate the role of oral methylergonovine maleate (Methergine, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, N.J., USA) in augmenting the effect of intermittent extraamniotic instillation of 20% saline for midtrimester abortion in 200 patients. Methylergonovine maleate (MEM) administration was randomly allocated to half the study subjects. All the study procedures were performed by a single operator, and to minimize evaluator bias, another physician evaluated all the study patients after abortion. This study showed that a statistically significant higher percentage of patients in the MEM treated group aborted within 24 hours. At 36 and 48 hours, the differences were not statistically significant, although the cumulative abortion rates were higher for subjects who received the drug than for those who did not. The incidence of incomplete abortions was lower for those treated with MEM than for those not treated with the drug, but the difference was not statistically significant. The rates of complications and side effects were similar for both study groups.